


On the Cliffs of Insanity

by bruisedbutlovely



Series: the cliffs of insanity and other stories [1]
Category: Video Blogging RPF
Genre: Angst, Blood and Violence, Family Dynamics, How Do I Tag, Hurt No Comfort, I'm Bad At Tagging, Insanity, Kidnapping, MCC 8, Minecraft, Multiple Endings, Possessive Behavior, Swearing, Unhealthy Relationships
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-16
Updated: 2020-10-04
Packaged: 2021-03-06 14:41:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 18
Words: 27,108
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26490556
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bruisedbutlovely/pseuds/bruisedbutlovely
Summary: "Oh, Dream. Oh, Technoblade. Come out, come out, wherever you are!"---In MCC 8, Techno's and Dream's friends snap. They kidnap the two of them, keeping them hidden away in a locked server where no one can enter or leave. However, it seems that George, Sapnap, Phil, Wilbur, and Tommy are slowly diving deeper and deeper into insanity with no way for air.Techno and Dream attempt to escape their controlling and possessive grasp before they slip up and either Techno or Dream ends up dead.After all, they couldn't leave if they were dead.
Relationships: Clay | Dream & Dave | Technoblade
Series: the cliffs of insanity and other stories [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1984175
Comments: 1321
Kudos: 1647





	1. The End?

**Author's Note:**

> It's a Minecraft but IRL type of situation. There is respawning but you just respawn back in your body with all wounds gone. Some of the rules of this world is weird, just go along with it! But please let me know if it just doesn't make sense and I'll try and fix it!
> 
> Also, please let me know any grammar mistakes or if you have tips. This is my first work published on here!

“So, is it a deal?”

“We both get them back and everything goes back to normal, right?”

“Exactly. You get Dream, we get Techno. It all works out.”

“What if they try to fight back?”

“First, they won’t. After all, we’re all friends here. Besides, once we have them back, we’ll all be together and won’t let the two escape. Now, do we have a deal or not?”

“Fine. We have a deal.”

\---

The eight games passed without much care. After all, it was, in the end, dodgeball that mattered the most. First and second place battled it out with five rounds, first to three wins. Whoever won won the entire Championship. And battling it out in the arena were the Aqua Axolotls and the Pink Parrots.

Two teams of four. Two arrows. One shrinking arena. 

One winner. 

However, unknown to the teams, a more sinister plot was brewing between some of the teammates of the Green Guardians and the Red Rabbits, specifically George, Sapnap, Wilbur, Phil, and Tommy. No one would have any chance to even unveil this plot; they hid it too well. 

As the first round was given to the Pink Parrots, George glanced across the way and caught Wilbur’s eyes. A short nod from the one in green showed that they were ready but were the others? Wilbur gave him a sly smile, giving the other man the answer he needed. They both glanced away just as the second round started up, the odds in the Pink Parrots’ favor. 

The second and third round went to the Aqua Axolotls and the Pink Parrots respectively. This time, Phil and Tommy both looked at Sapnap who gave a barely noticeable nod. Phil smiled at him while Tommy just turned away, a smirk on his face. Sapnap glanced back at the arena, a smile on his face while the fourth round went to Aqua Axolotls. 

It was the final round when it all went wrong. When the two teams teamed up to finally get their friends back. 

However, no one noticed at first. The excitement in the air and the screams seemed to muffle anything that would happen. The world could dive into oblivion and no one would notice because this was the Championship. This was the time to prove yourself. 

And as this Championship started to wind down, people started to let their guard down.

No one was prepared. No one was ready. 

\---

Dream could feel his heart in his chest as he held his bow with a death grip. The cheering around him got progressively louder as the sun beat down on the two teams. He squinted against the sun, trying to see a familiar face in the crowd. He couldn’t see anyone. The sun blinded him but that thought was pushed away as the timer started to count down. 

“Ready?” Technoblade yelled against the cheers, sweat slipping down his face and his original crown set perfectly on his head. He glanced at his teammates, anticipation in the air.

“As ever!” Micheal yelled back, his smile bright on his face. Burren gave a thumbs up and then Techno turned to Dream.

“Let’s do this!” Dream screamed and it seemed like the audience got even louder until it was almost deafening.

3, 2, 1, go!

The arrow immediately popped up on either side and the game started. Burren immediately sprinted forward, grabbing the arrow and knocking it back. 

The final round to separate the winner from the losers has begun.

However, the Pink Parrots didn’t even notice the Red Rabbits or Green Guardians move.

Burren hit an opposite player who fell to the ground, dead, before he too was hit.

They didn’t even notice the Red Rabbits or Green Guardians get out weapons, hidden from everyone else. 

The Pink Parrots started to dodge, sprinting along their side of the arena and waiting for the arrow to pop up again. Dream grabbed it but unfortunately missed. 

They didn’t even notice the Red Rabbits or the Green Guardians start to kill. People started to fall but it wasn’t noticed by anyone. If they did notice, they were already dead.

Techno grabbed both arrows when the other team missed, hitting two of their teammates. He let out a yell of triumph before narrowly missing an arrow. The three ran side to side. 

They didn’t even notice that the cheering was missing. Bodies started to pile up but the music playing hid any noises of pain or cheers. It was the perfect crime. 

Micheal was hit soon after Techno shot his arrows. It was a two v. one. Once again, the odds were in their favor but it would seem that it didn’t matter. 

However, before Techno and Dream could do anything, their final opponent was suddenly on the ground, an arrow straight through their head shot by neither of the Pink Parrots. They stared in shock for a few seconds before the music suddenly cut out.

It was then when they noticed the silence of the arena.

“What the hell,” Dream could barely get out as he finally saw the bodies and the blood slowly dripping down the walls. Techno was speechless and he backed up into Dream so they were back-to-back. “What happened?”

But Techno didn’t. He just stared behind him.

“Wilbur?” Techno’s voice was weak. “Phil?”

Dream turned and he let out a gasp. Behind them, in the audience part of the arena, stood their friends. From left to right was George, Sapnap, Wilbur, Phil, and Tommy. They were all covered in blood and holding weapons that dripped the murky liquid. 

The silence was deafening.

George held a sword loosely in his right hand with his eyes glinting behind his glasses. and Sapnap had an axe resting on his shoulder, his lips up in a smirk. Wilbur also held a sword and his smile could only be described as insane. Phil held a bow and his face was cold; he must have taken the final shot. Tommy was smiling widely and he swung an axe back and forth, back and forth.

“What did you do?” Dream looked at all the dead bodies of the other players, his voice unsteady and weak. “What did you do?”

“You don’t understand,” Wilbur’s tone was like he was speaking to a child. “We were only trying to protect you.”

“From what?” Techno also stepped forward. “What were you protecting us from?”

“Scott made the bad decision to split us all up,” George slowly smiled. “We needed you back.”

“And you did that by killing everyone?” Dream’s grip on his bow tightened. He knew both of the arrows were behind him and he knew that Techno knew that too. However, they both knew that Phil would shoot them before they could even grab the arrows, much less fire them. Dream spotted Micheal’s body and he swallowed roughly. “What kind of sick game are you playing?”

“Dream, you’re not going to understand,” Tommy leaned on the railing. “I didn’t at first but then they explained it to me.”

Sapnap grinned, placing a hand on George’s shoulder. “We’ll finally be a proper family. No one can separate us.”

Dream stared at them, disbelief in their eyes. “We were already a family! This was one Championship.”

“One too many,” Phil cut in. “We told Scott to not separate us. I think he’ll learn his lesson.”

The oldest in the ground gestured lazily to a side of the arena. Techno and Dream followed his hand and Dream almost lost it when he saw Scott’s mutilated face. 

“Like Dream said, we were already a family,” Techno tried to reason. “Just because me and Dream-”

“Oh, it’s not that,” Wilbur cut him off. “If anything that helped. As soon as we learned that you and Dream would be together, we went to George and Sap. Fortunately, they agreed to our plan.”

But then, Wilbur sighed. “You two won’t get it. We’re just protecting you.

The tallest looked at Phil who readied his bow, aiming at Techno. Dream and Techno knew they couldn’t run, couldn’t do anything. They could only accept it.

“Phil, please,” Techno tried to beg but an arrow pierced his arm, particles coming off of it. He fell and Dream half-caught him but the momentum brought them both to the ground. Dream held his friend to his chest, staring up at his insane friends.

“Please don’t,” A tear slid down from under his mask. “Please, you can still stop.”

This time, Phil laughed. “Why would we want to, Dream? We can all finally be a family.”

With that, he released his other arrow, hitting Dream in the chest. Dream tried to stay awake but he eventually succumbed to the potion and the two slumped over, Dream’s body half-way on Techno’s with his head on the pink-haired man’s chest. 

They wouldn’t be waking up for a long time.

The now completely insane Red Rabbits and Green Guardians stared down at the two like a hunter would stare at their prey.

They would be a family, no matter what.


	2. Point of No Return

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dream and Techno wake up in a house that they've never seen before.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's the second chapter! I hope you enjoy!!

For the first time in a week, Dream woke up slowly. In the weeks coming up to the Championship, he usually stayed up late and woke up early, trying to get in as much practice. And since he was with Techno this time, he wanted to make a good impression.

That’s when he remembered everything.

Quickly, he sat up and took in his surroundings. He didn’t know where he was.

The bed he sat in had a dark blue comforter and was pushed into a corner. He seemed to be in pants and a white shirt but Dream tried to not think about what that implied. His mask was gone and was nowhere in the room but there were socks and boots which he did put on. There was also a desk in the corner of the room along with a wardrobe in the third corner. A door sat between them and a window sat on the opposite side of the bed, next to the wardrobe. 

Two ways out.

On quiet feet, Dream got out of the bed and padded over to the door, trying the doorknob. It just shook uselessly. The player checked the doorknob closer; locked from the outside.

He took a step back, swallowing roughly as he tried to keep his composure. How long were George and Sapnap and all of them planning this? Since the beginning? Every time Dream closed his eyes, he just saw the blood staining the wall and Burren’s and Micheal’s bodies, still and cold next to Techno and Dream. 

Taking in a shuddering breath, Dream squeezed his eyes tightly, trying to get those images out of his head but every time he tried, he just saw George with blood on his face and Sapnap with a bloody weapon. He just saw Sapnap’s insane grin and George’s glinting eyes. How long have they been planning, how long did they know they would kill everyone?

Dream didn’t even know if anyone respawned. What if they didn’t? What if it was just Techno and Dream alone with these psychopaths with no one knowing they were even missing? What if no one came to save them?

His breath came in short gasps and he stumbled over to the window, trying to break it or open it or anything. Everything he tried failed and Dream spun around, his back on the wall as he slid to the floor and brought his knees up to his chest, a sob escaping his throat. 

He remembered seeing Phil’s face and catching Techno who was out before he could even touch the floor. He remembered their triumphant smirks when they saw Techno fall asleep and how they turned their gaze on him. He remembered staring at his friends and begging, pleading for them to stop.

They didn’t listen.

And now, Dream was trapped in who knows where with them. 

Then, he heard the door open but Dream didn’t dare look up. He just kept his head buried in his arms, hoping, praying that it was Techno or anyone to take him out of this nightmare. 

His hopes were shattered when he heard the familiar voice of Sapnap.

“Oh, Dream,” Sapnap crouched in front of his friend, gently carding a hand through Dream’s blonde hair and ignoring the flinch that came from the older. “It’s okay. It’s just me.”

Dream refused to answer; he’s never been more terrified of his friend. 

“Well, breakfast is ready and you need some food in you. I know, you usually eat after the championship but, of course, that didn’t happen,” Sapnap stared at Dream who still didn’t move and Sapnap’s smile became forced. “Dream, if you don’t get up in the next five seconds, I’m gonna do something that neither of us want.”

Sapnap tightened his grip on Dream’s hair, forcing him to look up. The younger man just cooed, wiping away Dream’s tears softly. “There you go. Now, that wasn’t that hard, was it?”

Dream just shook his head mutely and Sapnap’s smile turned bright again. “Perfect! Let’s go have some breakfast.”

Sapnap stood and offered a hand to Dream who took it hesitantly. He just saw the blood there but, of course, the hands were clean now. Pulling Dream up, Sapnap then dropped his hands and led Dream to the open door which led to a long hallway with multiple doors, all closed. However, that wasn’t the weirdest part. 

Pictures lined the hallway. As Sapnap led Dream down the hallway, Dream glanced at a few of them. One of them was from one of the 1v3 Manhunts; Bad took the picture and Dream, George and Sapnap were laughing over something Sapnap said. Another picture was Tommy and Wilbur when they first joined the SMP, in front of the caravan. Right next to it was Wilbur, George and Dream on a pizza date in the main server that connects the rest of the servers.

Dream didn’t know if it was creepy or sweet. 

Finally, the hallway opened up to a main entrance with a grand staircase. Dream still didn’t recognize the place but he refused to ask Sapnap who just hummed happily next to him. They made their way down the staircase and went right behind the staircase where Sapnap opened a door that led to the kitchen. 

Phil was at the stove, making what looked like pancakes. George was next to him, pouring a few glasses of orange juice. Wilbur was at the table, talking joyfully with Tommy and Techno was next to the older Brit.

Techno and Dream immediately made eye-contact. Dream tried to smile but he found that it fell short and instead, just nodded slightly at the other. Techno gave more of a grimace before he glanced away, staring down at the table. His crown was missing like Dream's mask was. 

George turned around and his smile was blinding when he saw Dream. “There’s sleeping beauty! Sit down, Phil is making pancakes.”

Dream glanced at his friend before making his way to the table, sitting down in an empty place next to Techno. Then, Dream felt something get pushed into his pocket and he quickly schooled his features to hide his surprise. He peeked at Techno who’s face didn’t betray his emotions at all but Dream saw Techno’s hand slid back into his own lap.

George set down glasses of orange juice, giving Wilbur and Tommy his input on whatever they were arguing about; Dream wasn’t really paying attention. It was hard when you knew that they had dozens of people’s blood on their hands. 

Looking around the kitchen, the scene looked almost domestic. Phil was laughing at something Sapnap said to him, pulling the bag of chocolate chips away whenever Sapnap tried to steal some. George was putting the orange juice, humming some song to himself as he grabbed some plates. Wilbur and Tommy continued to argue and it turned physical when Wilbur grabbed Tommy’s head and gave him a nookie. 

If how they got here was different, Dream would have been happy. He would have been trying to steal chocolate with Sapnap, laughing with Phil, helping George, arguing with Wilbur and Tommy. 

But how they got here wasn’t different. This domestic and homely scene was at the price of over twenty bodies that littered the dodge ball arena. 

Dream looked over to Techno. He wanted to say something to the pink-haired man but Dream was scared to. However, when George came back, he took his chance to ask a question.

“George, do you know where my mask is?” Dream said softly, his voice unusually quiet. 

George, however, just titled his head. “Well, we don’t think you need it. After all, you’re family. Why would you need to wear it around family?”

Dream just nodded, looking away. “Yeah, family.”

Before George could say anything else, Phil came over to the table with a plate of pancakes. 

“Eat up, everyone,” Phil set the plate down before turning around. “Sapnap, put those chocolate chips down! We only have one bag and I don’t want to go back to the main server.”

Techno and Dream glanced at each other.

That was a way out. 

“Oh, no, you don’t,” Wilbur glared at the two. “I know what you’re planning.”

Wilbur suddenly stood, slamming his hands on the table and the kitchen went silent. “We just got you back and if you think you’re just going to get away like that, you’re dead wrong. You’re never leaving again so I’d get used to it.”

Wilbur then smiled pleasantly and sat down like he didn’t just completely blow up on them. Everyone else went back to what they were doing, the moment already forgotten as Wilbur eased back into his conversation with Tommy. 

Dream just shook slightly, moving subconsciously towards Techno. It was just them alone with their now completely off their rockers friends who were so possessive that they wouldn’t even let them leave their rooms alone. 

Techno’s hand slipped into Dream’s, offering Dream the comfort he so desperately needed and Dream gripped it like a lifeline. techno squeezed back just as tightly.

It was just them against everyone.

Now, it seemed like the odds completely turned against them.


	3. In the Silence

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As Techno and Dream both think of ways to escape, Scott finally wakes up and realized the tragedy that happened at the end of MCC 8.

Sapnap and George didn’t leave Dream’s side all day. Before all of this, that would only be slightly annoying but all in all, cute. But now, it’s creepy and never gives Dream the time to read the note Techno gave him.

Right after breakfast, Sapnap and George whisked Dream off to show off the apparent mansion while Phil, Wilbur, and Tommy took Techno off to show him the outside of the mansion, effectively separating them. However, Dream was able to ask a few questions about the mansion and thankfully, they answered.

The mansion was built on a completely new server. Sapnap told Dream that they brought the empty server right next to Dream’s; Dream faintly remembered a door with a FOR SALE sign on it, right next to the door that led to the Dream SMP.

Dream asked if anyone else could get in. They gave him twin smiles that showed their teeth too much.

“It’s locked,” Sapnap stepped in front of Dream, stopping the taller dead in its tracks. The younger leaned forward, his eyes deadly and cold. “You aren’t planning on escaping, are you Dreamy?”

“Of course not, why would I want to leave my family?” Dream was quick to assure him. “I was just curious.”

Luckily, Sapnap seemed so happy about Dream saying “my family” that he immediately dropped the conversation. But when Dream glanced back at George, he knew that George saw through his facade. Who else saw straight through it?

But the tour seemed to go wrong when Sapnap and George led Dream down the main staircase then down another. The nice lanterns turned into red stone torches and the sunlight quickly disappeared. With every step he took, Dream felt like he was taking another step to his death.

Would they do that? Would they kill him? They did say they wanted to be a family forever; did Dream have to be alive to be a part of that family? He would just respawn, right? But Phil has a hardcore world; what if this world was hardcore as well? What if he died and he just never came back? 

Would they do that to him? Would George and Sapnap, his two best friends, kill him just to stay with him forever? Or are they just messing with him? Is this some type of psychological torture meant to break him because he was already breaking!

Dream once saw a documentary that said in kidnapping cases, the most vital time was the first 24 hours when the trace was fresh, when the kidnapper was still high on the adrenaline and more likely to make mistakes. But that documentary was talking about children taken by complete strangers. Dream was an adult taken by the people he trusted most in his life. 

How long has it been since dodge ball, since the Championship? It must have only about twelve hours ago but it already felt like days. Has anyone noticed yet? Have the other players even respawned yet? 

The mansion had absolutely no clocks and few windows; it was messing with Dream’s head. And no one would give him the time so he didn’t know if it was actually the next day or maybe it was a week later and everyone thought they were dead and gave up looking already. 

What day was it? It felt like the first day for Dream but for Bad, for Skeppy, for Ant, for everyone else, it could be the third, the seventh, the twentieth day. How long were he and Techno asleep? How long has it been? 

Sapnap opened a huge metal door and it made an ominous, creaking noise. He and George stood on either side of the door and when Dream looked in, he couldn’t even see the back wall. 

Immediately, Dream knew it was a trap but he also knew that he wouldn’t make it very far if he ran. Halfway through the tour, he tried to and the new scar on his throat stopped him from trying again. So, when the two gestured him in like a circus master gestures in a beast, Dream went in without complaint. 

But the slam of the metal door behind him still startled Dream and he spun around, immediately pounding on the metal door. Sure, he knew it was going to happen but it was still scary. 

It was like jumping from the diving board for the first time. You know you’ll hit the water, you know you’ll be fine but it’s still scary. And you’re still terrified that maybe, just maybe the water will hurt.

But Dream knew there was no “maybe”. The water will hurt this time no matter where he jumps from. There was no doubt in his mind. 

“Sapnap, George, please,” Dream begged, banging on the door. “Please don’t leave me here, I don’t want to be alone.”

“It’s a punishment, Dream,” George’s voice seemed to echo in the chamber. “You wanted to run away, you tried to. What family would we be if we didn’t punish the rule-breakers?”

George walked away, his footsteps growing faint. It was just Sapnap.

“Sapnap, Sapnap,” Tears started to stream down Dream’s face. “Please, it was a mistake. I didn’t mean to, please don’t leave me.”

“You tried to run away from us so now you’ll feel what it’s like if you did,” Sapnap’s voice was cold and any emotion in it was now gone. “You would be alone in the dark with no one beside you.”

Ignoring Dream’s cries and screams and bangs on the doors, Sapnap walked away. Dream just slammed his fists on the door, begging for them to come back. He didn’t want to be alone, he didn’t want to be locked in a dark room slowly going insane. 

What if that was the play? Make Dream as insane as they are. Make Dream want them as much as they want him. Make Dream helpless and be the savior he needs. Make Dream want, no, need to stay forever. 

Dream slid down onto his knees, his forehead against the iron door and tears still streaming down his face. His arms wrapped around himself, the coldness of the room already getting to him. Curling into himself, Dream pushed himself against the door, squeezing his eyes tightly.

Maybe he would wake up and it would all be a dream. 

But he still sat in the dark room, all alone. 

\---

The first thing Scott thought when he woke was that the Championship was only a nightmare. A really detailed and long nightmare but a nightmare nonetheless. He just remembered was Sapnap coming at him with an ax and then nothing.

He felt the dried blood on his face and with a shaking hand, Scott dragged the tips of his fingers down his face. Swallowing roughly, Scott sat up, leaning heavily on his right hand and when he saw everything, he almost lost his lunch there and now.

Blood was everywhere in the dodge ball arena; it stained the floor, dripped down the walls and was splattered everywhere. And if he looked close enough, he could see parts of skin and some teeth.

Trying to ignore the blood, Scott looked at the other players who were just waking up like him. They were all confused and all covered in blood.

What happened?

Scott pushed himself up and stumbled to the railing, staring down at the half-destroyed arena. All of the Aqua Axolotls were there, each waking up and staring at the audience, confused. However, only Burren and Micheal were there from the Pink Parrots. 

“Scott?” The familiar voice of Callum almost calmed the MCC organizer. Almost. “Are you alright?”

Scott nodded at his friend. “I just remember Sapnap killing me. Where did he even get an ax here?”

Callum stared at Scott, confused. “The last thing I remember is George stabbing me.”

“Weird,” Scott trailed off before glancing back down at Burren and Micheal. “Guys, where are Techno and Dream?”

“We don’t know,” Burren yelled up. “They’re just...gone.”

That didn’t sit well with Scott. He made his way around the arena along with Callum, asking people how they died and then, he saw a frightening trend; everyone in this arena was killed by either Sapnap, George, Phil, Wilbur or Tommy. 

Those five were missing along with Dream and Techno. Scott pondered that as he watched over the small group of people that worked to get the remaining Pink Parrots and Aqua Axolotls out of the arena. Callum stood by his side, silent. 

And in the silence of the arena that was normally full of laughter and cheers, Scott remembered.

He remembered the betrayed looks of Wilbur and Phil when they realized Techno wouldn’t be on the same team. He remembered the dirty glares George and Sapnap gave him when they found out Dream was on a different team. He remembered the Red Rabbits being uncharacteristically violent in other games. He remembered the Green Guardians throwing themselves into the games to try and win.

And he remembered Wilbur’s, Phil’s, and Tommy’s gaze almost obsessively following Techno. And he remembered George and Sapnap almost always right behind Dream.

Scott turned to Callum, his face pale. “I think I know what happened.”


	4. Promises That Can't Be Kept

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Techno tries to escape but he doesn't get far.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Technoblade's perspective this time as requested by one of my lovely commenters! Seriously, you guys are the absolute best!! Enjoy the new chapter!

Techno could taste freedom. It was so close and it was so sweet; it tasted like honey and sugar and everything nice. However, it seemed to taste too sweet. The sugar seemed to burn his tongue and the honey was more like molasses; heavy and thick and impossible to swallow. But he pushed on, trying to ignore the smolder of the sugar and honey.

Hiding behind a huge boulder, Techno tried to get his breathing under control. He knew that Wilbur was right behind him with a sword, waiting for Techno to stumble. Phil almost immediately disappeared when Techno ran off but Techno knew that he was just biding his time. Tommy, however, was a wild card. The teenager could be anywhere. 

“Technoblade,” Wilbur’s voice came all too close to Techno. “Where are you?”

With a hand over his mouth, Techno started to sneak around the boulder, peeking around the stone and searching for the other three. The clearing in the woods gave Techno a chance to find them easily but it also gave Phil, Wilbur, and Tommy a chance to ambush him. 

But the clearing was empty. Techno dropped the hand from his mouth and warily looked around. Were they just waiting for him? Was this all a trap? 

The clearing was small and was split in half by a creek. The sky was completely blocked by trees, making it seem like the middle of the night and not the evening. It kind of finished the creepy vibe the entire place was giving off. 

Techno looked behind him. There seemed to be miles and miles of just oak trees; they were almost never ending. If he was fast enough, he could lose them in the trees.

But then, he turned around and caught a glimpse of the mansion. 

Dream was still in there, was still trapped with his two completely mad friends. He didn’t have the chance to run like Techno did, only because Sapnap and George wanted to give him a tour of the inside. Techno was lucky; he woke up earlier than Dream did and Phil gladly gave him an inside tour before breakfast. Dream, Techno heard, got shot straight in the chest and was out for way longer.

He stared at the mansion, trying to make a decision. Dream would want him to go on, to get help but at the same time, Techno didn’t want to leave Dream alone with those psychopaths. What if they got angry and killed him? Sure, he would just respawn but what if they killed him over and over and over again? Worse, what if they somehow convince him to stay, somehow convince him that they were his only family?  
Somehow, that terrified Techno more than seeing Dream dead; seeing him stuck with the kidnappers, thinking that they were everything. 

“There you are, big man,” Tommy appeared out of the forest, right behind Techno. “Thought you ran off.”

Techno didn’t say anything but he saw Phil and Wilbur come up on either side, effectively trapping him. However, when they took a step forward, he refused to take a step back.

“Pretty stupid move, Techno,” Wilbur brought his sword up so it was about a foot from Techno’s neck. “You didn’t exactly get very far.”

“I thought we told you not to run,” Phil took another step forward, a deadly glint in his eyes as he pulled back an arrow. “It was quite a simple rule, mate.”

“You know me, Phil,” Techno tried to smile. “I’m not keen on rules.”

“True shame,” Phil aimed the arrow straight at Techno. He didn’t recognize the potion on it. “Now, since we’re a forgiving family, we’re going to give you one chance to come back with us peacefully.”

In a split second, Techno made a decision. The sun set behind him. 

“I’ll go with you,” Techno stepped forward. He wasn’t going to leave Dream behind. “I’ll go with you.”

Phil lowered the bow. “Good choice, mate.”

Tommy bounded up to Techno and wrapped his arm around Techno’s. Wilbur came up on Techno’s other side while Phil took up the rear, effectively trapping Techno once again. He wondered if this was planned or purely coincidental.

However, as they led him back to the house, Techno knew he wasn’t off the hook. That belief was solidified when they pulled him back into a house and down a staircase into the basement. They entered a dark hallway and passed by a closed and locked iron door but then, the three of them showed Techno to another iron door. This one they opened and Phil, with his hand on the back of Techno’s neck, gently pushed him in. The door shut ominously behind him.

“This is for your own good, son,” Phil told Techno who just clenched his jaw. “This is the punishment for running away.”

Two steps of footprints were heard and Techno wondered who stayed behind.

“I tried to run away once, too,” Tommy’s voice echoed in the chamber. “But I learned and now, I can go anywhere! Maybe you’ll learn too.”

“Tommy,” Techno unexpectedly said. “Are you happy here?”

Techno could hear Tommy’s confusion from here. “Of course I am. I have you and Wilbur and Phil and Sapnap and George and Dream too. What else would I need?”

“Don’t you miss Tubbo?” Techno turned around, placing a hand on the iron door. “Don’t you miss the Dream SMP? Don’t you miss the freedom of all the servers we can access?”

“Techno, we are free here. Here, we can just be a family without anyone breaking us apart. Here, we can be happy,” With that, Tommy walked away and Techno had nothing to say. 

Moving to the left, Techno sat down by the wall that he must have shared with the other cell. He leaned his head against the wall, closing his eyes. 

“Techno? Is that you?”

Techno’s head snapped up when he noticed Dream’s voice. He spun around. “Dream? It’s me.”

There was a laugh from Dream. “Oh thank god. I just woke up and I just heard you and I thought I died or something.”

Techno chuckled, thanking whoever was out there that Dream didn’t hear the conversation he had with Tommy. “Are you in the other cell?”

“Yeah. I tried to run and I didn’t make it very far.”

“I did the same thing,” Techno left out the part where he could have escaped but chose to come back. “Phil wasn’t very happy.”

“Neither was George or Sapnap, I got a new scar on my throat to prove that.”

“They hurt you?”

“Don’t worry, they immediately healed it afterwards.”

“Doesn’t change the fact that they apparently held a sword up to your throat.”

“Guess it doesn’t.”

The two of them fell silent for a second before Dream spoke up again.

“What did you see out there?”

Techno had to think about it for a second. “Acres and acres of oak trees. There’s a small creek that runs along a side of the mansion and there’s a garden behind this place.”

“I don’t want to hear about the mansion. Tell me about the world.”

Techno couldn’t help but smile. He closed his eyes again and he imagined Dream doing the same. “There’s a huge oak tree that grows taller than all the other trees. If you go straight behind it, you’ll find a clearing with so many flowers and a few mushrooms. I didn’t see it up close but if you keep going, there’s a river that looks like it would sweep you away.”

“That sounds nice,” Dream murmured. 

“How long have you been in here, Dream?”

“Since after breakfast. Why, what time is it now?”

“The sun set already.”

“Oh,” Was all Dream said. He already sounded like he was losing it. Could you go insane in a day? In an hour? In a minute? In a second? But then again, Techno couldn’t imagine staying in this dark and freezing cold room almost all day. Techno had at least a cloak, pants, a long sleeve shirt and boots. Dream only had his shirt, pants and boots. 

“Are you cold?” Techno whispered, hearing the sleep in Dream’s voice.

“I don’t really feel it anymore,” Dream answered. “I’m just trying to think of ways to get out of here.”

“Go to sleep, Dream,” Techno said. “I’ll make sure no one comes in.”

Dream just hummed, already falling into the land of slumber. Techno could barely hear Dream’s small sleep sighs through the wall but he could and for some reason, that made him feel better.

They both survived the first day of capture. 

They were both alive. 

When your whole world goes to shit, small miracles start to seem huge. 

“We’re going to get out of here,” Techno promised the sleeping man. “We’re going to find a way to the main server and we’re going to be okay.”

Dream, of course, gave no answer.

“I swear to you, Dream, that we will both get out of here alive. It’s me and you now and we’ll find a way out of this. We’re going to be okay.”

Dream, of course, gave no answer.


	5. Hope for the Damned

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Badboyhalo starts to figure out what happens to his friends while Phil learns that all of the servers are searching for him and his family.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> New chapter, bois!!!  
> Also, thank you so much for all of the support on this story. I love writing it for myself but seeing you readers enjoy it as well gives me so much happiness! I love ya'll. <3

TECHNOBLADE AND DREAM MISSING? CATASTROPHE AT MCC 8

While the events are blurry, there is one thing that is prominent; the popular players, Technoblade and Dream, have seemingly vanished from the Minecraft Championship server along with five of their friends (Ph1LzA, Wilbur Soot, TommyInnit, Georgenotfound, Sapnap). None of the MCC’s operators have spoken on this topic quite yet but witnesses of this unknown attack are being interrogated right now. 

More updates soon.

Badboyhalo felt like he could barely breathe. The screen that so loudly proclaimed that his friends were missing just twinkled and blinked like it didn’t just tell Bad that everything was wrong. Like it didn’t just tell Bad that his entire world was flipped upside down now, what are you going to do next?

And for a second, Bad didn’t know what he would do next. What could he do? His friends were missing and no one knew how. 

He fell onto a bench in the main server, just watching the small news clip over and over and over again because maybe, it was an elaborate joke that Skeppy came up with and he was filming right now, ready to reveal himself. But he never came out and the news clip kept repeating. 

Staring down at his hands, Bad just watched them shake. He couldn’t bear to look at the news clip or the pictures that cycled through every so often. There was a picture of Dream and Techno along with everyone else, the word MISSING above them. And then there was a blurry picture of the dodge ball arena that showed the now dried blood covering the place. 

Bad felt like he was surrounded by these pictures of his smiling friends but they should be frowning because they’re missing and no one knows where they are.

But someone has to know. Someone must have seen something.

Someone must know where his friends are.

With a new determination, Bad stalked out of the main server and to the door of the MCC server. The player guarding the door just nodded before letting him in. Bad closed his eyes as the world was warped around him and he found himself in the lobby of the Minecraft Championship. 

His friends stood here. They stood here, waiting for the games to start and unknowing of what would happen next. How could anyone even capture seven people at once and hold them for over 13 hours now? His friends were smart, they should be able to escape whoever is holding them so why weren’t they home yet?

Suddenly, Bad was teleported into the arena. He stumbled when he landed, unprepared for teleportation but then, he saw Scott sadly smiling at him. Bad couldn’t even smile back.

“I saw you were on the server,” Scott explained. “I knew you would want to see it.”

And as Bad surveyed the bloody arena, he didn’t know if he wanted to see it or not. 

“Do you know what happened?” Bad had to look away and he stared at Scott. 

“As the news says, Techno and Dream were kidnapped during the final round of dodge ball,” Scott started but then Bad cut in.

“Don’t you mean all of them? George, Sapnap, Phil, Tommy, and Wilbur are missing too.”

Scott’s facade folded like a house of cards. “There’s something I should tell you. You should probably take a seat.”

Bad looked at the organizer of MCC, confused, but did as he asked. Scott just stood next to him, staring out at the crime scene.

“The working theory we have is that Wilbur, Phil, George, Tommy, and Sapnap have kidnapped Techno and Dream after killing everyone in the arena. All of the other players have said that the one of the five killed them, me included. While we were all waiting for respawn, Techno and Dream were taken to an unknown place.”

Bad just stared at him in disbelief. “No, they couldn’t have. Techno and Dream are their friends!”

“That’s the problem, Bad,” Scott sat down next to him. “We separated the Dream Team and Sleepy Boys in this Championship. So, they wanted Techno and Dream back and we think they just snapped.”

“Snapped?”

“Completely lost it. There probably are other things that caused it but this was the breaking point.”

“I-i..they..” Bad had trouble forming words. “They couldn’t! They love each other! I know Sapnap and George, they would never do this to Dream.”

“Bad, I know this is a lot to take in,” Scott put his hand on Bad’s shoulder. “Remember, we don’t know if this is what actually happened but it’s the most probable.”

“No,” Bad yelled, suddenly standing. “They wouldn’t do that! Dream is their friend, I am their friend. George and Sapnap wouldn’t do that, they just wouldn’t. They love him too much.”

“That’s the problem,” Scott stood as well. “Their love morphed into something possessive, into something dangerous. They must have thought that I was trying to separate them or something and they acted. Think, Bad, has there been anything that could have shown this.”

Bad was about to say no when suddenly, glimpses of memories flooded his head. He remembered their manhunts where Sapnap’s and George's promises to kill Dream seemed real. He remembered Sapnap and George almost obsessing over whatever Dream was doing. He remembered Sapnap and George brutally killing in a game of survival games when they found out Dream was not on their team. He remembered Sapnap and George sneaking out of the Dream SMP when Dream was asleep, going who knows where.

“You know, don’t you?” Scott asked and Bad could only nod. 

“I thought they were just under a lot of pressure but whenever I asked, they brushed it off. I thought that when the Championship was over, they would calm down,” Bad just leaned against the railing, his head dropped. “Would they really do this, Scott?”

“I wish I could say no,” Scott said. “But with what I saw in this Championship, I don’t know any more.”

“But how does Wilbur, Phil, and Tommy play into this?” 

“I think it’s almost the same thing. Wilbur and Phil feel like we were taking Techno away from them and they had to strike back. They must have picked up Tommy along the way.”

Bad stared off at the arena, not truly seeing anything. “But who broke first? Who is orchestrating this whole thing? They must have a plan, have a safe house or something.”

“That’s the question,” Scott sighed, also leaning against the railing but he stared off the opposite way. “But the main question is where the hell are Dream and Techno? When they killed us all, the two of them just disappeared.”

“Let’s focus on finding those two muffins,” Bad decided, trying to focus on Dream. He didn’t want to think of Sapnap and George. 

He didn’t truly know them anymore. Then again, did he ever?

\---

MCC PLAYER SPEAKS OUT: MURDER IN THE ARENA?

WHO ARE THE ACTUAL VICTIMS: NEW EVIDENCE COMES TO LIFE

SMAJOR TELLS THE TALE OF WHAT HAPPENED

THE DEFINITE THEORY: TRAGEDY IN MCC 8

\---

IF YOU HAVE ANY INFORMATION REGARDING THE KIDNAPPING OF TECHNOBLADE AND DREAM, PLEASE CONTACT THE ADMINS. 

HAVE YOU SEEN THESE PEOPLE?

REPORT ANY SIGHTINGS OF PH1LZA, WILBUR SOOT, TOMMYINNIT, SAPNAP, OR GEORGE. THEY ARE WANTED BY THE ADMINS FOR THE KIDNAPPING OF TECHNOBLADE AND DREAM.

BE SAFE: THESE MEN ARE ARMED AND DANGEROUS.

\---

Phil growled as he crumbled the newspaper; his family was everywhere and he didn’t exactly like it. He had to hide his face when he hopped into the main server to get this newspaper and some other supplies. Someone almost saw him. 

They would have to start growing their own food. There was a garden in the back but it wasn’t enough to sustain five people. Maybe he could send George and Sapnap out to fix it out. 

However, it was right then when Wilbur walked into the library and Phil quickly shoved the newspaper behind him. Wilbur, if he did notice, didn’t mention it and just plopped down on the couch, leaning into Phil who just placed his arm around the younger man’s shoulder.

“What’s up, son?” Phil gently played with Wilbur’s hair.

Wilbur curled up tighter. “Can they come out yet?”

Phil sighed. “Not yet. They have to stay in there until tomorrow so they learn their lesson. If we let them out early, they won’t learn anything.”

Wilbur just nodded his head and then glanced up at Phil. “I saw that newspaper. What’s happening?”

For a second, Phil debated lying to Wilbur but then, he decided not to. Wilbur would just find out anyway. Better for Phil to tell him than let Wilbur figure it out from other sources. He took out the newspaper and showed it to Wilbur.

“They’re looking for us,” Phil just continued to run his hand through Wilbur’s hair. “They think we’re going to hurt Techno and Dream.”

Wilbur immediately sat up, eyes wide in panic and anger. “We aren’t going to hurt them. They’re family.”

“I know, Will,” Phil assured him. 

“We’re protecting them! Those motherfuckers are trying to tear us apart again!” Wilbur grabbed the newspaper from Phil and with a yell of rage, he threw it in the fire.

Together, they watched it burn.


	6. Do You Believe in Miracles?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As Techno and Dream are let out of their cells, they finally plan to escape.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We're getting some action!!!! Hope everyone enjoys!!

Dream didn’t know how long he lied there in the dark, curled into himself and wishing that they would come back and just let him out. He did have Techno but they were separated by a wall that made it feel like he and Techno were miles away. 

Drifting in and out of sleep, Dream was more tired than he was before. He started to cramp from being locked in the same position for who knows how long but he didn’t want to move. For some reason, it seemed like he was unable too. 

Hours passed or maybe only a minute passed. Time was weird and Dream had no way to keep track of it. He just listened to Techno mumble to himself, Dream’s eyes already closing again. It was almost comforting listening to Techno’s voice, reminding him that they were here and they were still alive. 

Look how far they’ve fallen. From the win of the Championship in their grasp to being alone in two dark cells, kept there by people they thought were their friends. 

It was kind of poetic how the same people who helped build Techno and Dream up, who made them the people they are would be the same people who would tear them down. In a way, it reminded Dream of Icarus, the man who flew too close to the sun. 

Was he Icarus? Did he fly too close to the sun and burn his wings off? Did he hurtle towards the sea, cutting through the air as he screamed for anyone to catch him? 

“Dream?” Techno’s voice startled Dream out of his thoughts. “I know you’re awake. I thought I told you to go to bed.”

“Kind of hard to sleep on the stone,” Dream answered. “But I don’t want to sleep.”

Techno chuckled at Dream’s childish words. “Well, what do you want to do?”

“Tell me a story,” Dream finally decided after a few seconds. “We’ve been teammates for a while but we barely know anything about each other.”

“What do you want to know?”

“What was your first sky wars like?”

Unknown to them, hours passed as they exchanged stories like friends do over a beer. Sure, their laughs echoed in the cells creepily and whenever they heard something, they both immediately froze and prayed it was nothing but it seemed like it was normal.

It seemed like everything was fine. 

That fragile picture was completely destroyed when the door to Dream’s and Techno’s cell were both opened, light pouring in. Dream flinched at the unexpected light and when his eyes adjusted, he looked up from his spot on the floor to see Sapnap and George standing there with a torch. 

“Your punishment is over, Dream,” George smiled and knelt down, passing the torch off to Sapnap. His warm hand cradle Dream’s face and even though Dream didn’t mean to, he leaned into his hand which made George smile brighter. “Come on, Dreamy. Let’s get you out of here.”

George took Dream’s hand and pulled him up but because Dream was sitting down so long, he stumbled. George thankfully caught him and wrapped Dream’s arm around his shoulders, supporting him until Dream’s legs got their feeling back. The two of them made their way to the hallway that connected the cells where they met up with Techno and Wilbur, Tommy trailing behind with a torch. 

Techno’s eyes immediately found the scar on Dream’s neck and when he looked into Dream’s eyes, Dream just smiled. Techno then reached down, tapping his own pocket. Dream knew he was talking about the note.

“Come on, Techno,” Wilbur led the way with Techno by his side. “Phil is making his chocolate pancakes again. But Tommy, Phil told me to tell you that you’re banned from sugar after that sugar high yesterday.”

“He can’t do that,” Tommy whined but Dream didn’t hear that. He just turned to George, confusion in his eyes.

“What time is it?” Dream asked George but Sapnap answered.

“A few hours after sunrise,” Sapnap beamed like he didn’t just admit to locking Dream away in a cell to rot for a whole day. “Come on, I’m hungry and we wanna show you the garden.”

\---

Unknown to any of them, someone else was reading the newspaper. Someone else was staring at the pictures, tears sliding down their face. Someone else was wondering what happened, wondering how this could have happened. And when someone else threw their newspaper across the room and collapsed into tears, a small bee slowly flew in circles above their head.

\---

When night finally rolled around, Dream sat in the bed he first woke up in, trying not to fall asleep. Techno’s note was clutched in his hand as he stared out the window, waiting for something but what? 

Then, he spotted the moon slowly crawling up the sky and Dream suddenly got up, making his way to the door. It was, of course, locked from the outside again but with a little help from a fork Dream stole from the family dinner they had, the door was opening and Dream was slipping out into an harrowing hallway. Dream, unfortunately, didn’t know where Techno’s room was but one glance at the note Techno left him had Dream cautiously making his way down the hallway towards the garden that Sapnap and George showed him this morning.

It was beautiful with the variety of flowers that sprouted in the grass but the only thing that rubbed Dream the wrong way was the ten feet tall hedges that surrounded it with no door out. George and Sapnap said that if he behaved, he could be out there with no supervision. 

But Dream didn’t want to be good anymore. He had to play nice during lunch, laughing at Wilbur’s jokes and pretending that it didn’t physically hurt to eat. He had to play nice during dinner, acting like he wasn’t held there against his will and like he wasn’t planning on escaping tonight.

Techno’s note explained his plan. When the moon was halfway to midnight, the two would meet in the garden and finally leave this hell hole over the wall. They would finally leave after over 42 hours here, after over two days here. 

Dream just wanted to go home already.

He snuck through the hallways, trying to remember which way the garden was when he suddenly heard someone’s footsteps. Cursing in his head, Dream ducked into a room which happened to be the kitchen. However, it seemed the odds were completely against him when he came face-to-face with Tommy who was holding a glass of water.

For a second, nothing happened. The footsteps got closer but still, neither of them moved.

Suddenly, Tommy looked away and walked around Dream like he never saw him. Dream stared in shock for a second before hiding in the hallway off the other side of the kitchen that led to the garden. The footsteps got even closer before stopping.

“Did you hear anyone?” George asked Tommy and Dream held his breath.

“No one,” Tommy lied. “Just came down for some water.”

“That’s weird. Thought I heard something.” 

Two sets of footprints start to walk away and risking it, Dream glanced around the corner and caught Tommy’s eyes for only a second before the teen looked away.

We’ll come back for you, Dream promised himself before sneaking out of the door into the garden where Techno was already waiting for him. However, as Dream looked closer, he could see Techno’s iconic crown on his head. The man in question turned around as Dream stepped closer and smiled before handing Dream back his mask.

“How did you get this?” Dream smiled, rubbing his thumb over the porcelain. “I didn’t even know where it was.”

“I made a detour to the library; they’ve been keeping them there,” Techno shrugged. “I just wanted my crown back.”

Dream placed the mask over his face and tied it around the back of his head. His mask always made him feel safe and when they took it away, it felt like a part of himself was taken away with it. “Thank you.”

Techno simply nodded before looking back at the garden wall. “Ready?”

“Let’s do this,” Dream jumped up onto the wall, quickly scaling it with Techno right behind him. Gracefully, they both swung a leg over the wall and just sat there for a second.

Dream glanced back at the house. Their captors slept peacefully in their beds while the two of them escaped, unsuspecting of anything. But even though it was a house that would be in Dream’s nightmares forever, he already missed in a twisted way.

In there were his friends, two of them he’s known since he was a kid and now, they were leaving it behind. In a span of two days, Dream had lost almost everything.

And everything scared him. What if they didn’t escape the server? What if they couldn’t even find a way to do it? Would they just spend the rest of their time on the run, hoping that someone on the outside would get them out? Or would they be caught? 

Dream tore his gaze away from the house. He didn’t want to be good anymore. 

The duo jumped down from the hedge and Techno grabbed Dream’s hand, sprinting far away from the house.

They didn’t look back.


	7. Where to Go From Here

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tubbo has mixed feelings about this entire situation and searches for answers while Techno and Dream find out how they're going to escape the server.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter!!!!!!! I'm am very proud of this one!!
> 
> Also, I know Dream's solution doesn't make the most sense but just go with it :) I am literally making stuff up now and hopefully, it makes a bit of sense!

Tubbo stood in front of Tommy’s empty home on the Dream SMP, blankly staring at the place like that would bring Tommy back. It didn’t work. The home stayed quiet and cold and abandoned. 

Gathering their courage, Tubbo walked into the house. It was just how Tommy left it when he left for the MCC; Tubbo would know, they talked for hours before the Championship started because Tommy was nervous. 

Was he nervous to participate in the championship or was he nervous because he was about to kidnap Dream and Technoblade? 

Tubbo didn’t know the answer either. 

They noticed a few slips of paper, hidden underneath Tommy’s tools on the crafting table. Carefully, they pulled it out and almost collapsed there and now.

The first was a selfie of the entire server, all of them smiling as Dream took the picture. For a second, Tubbo just stared at Dream, his mask still covering most of his face. Tubbo has actually never seen his actual face, no one has; even the newspaper only had a picture of him with his mask. Tubbo wondered what Dream was going through, what Techno was. They were two of the strongest players Tubbo ever meant but Tubbo knew that anything can break with enough pressure.

Their eyes moved upwards, skipping over George and Sapnap. They didn’t want to look at the two who kidnapped their own friend but their eyes stopped on Tommy. 

He was a bad guy, Tubbo kept telling themself. He kidnapped Dream and Techno along with the others and killed everyone in that arena. Tommy was bad. 

But as much as Tubbo wanted to believe it, they couldn’t. It just wasn’t like Tommy. Sure, he was chaotic and spontaneous but he would never put people he cared about in genuine harm. He wouldn’t kidnap anyone. 

Tubbo set that picture back onto the crafting table before staring at the other one. It was of them and Tommy, both smiling brightly with Tubbo’s bees flying around them. They were each giving each other bunny-ears, giving off the vibe of the perfect summer day.

Sliding down to the floor, Tubbo just stared at the picture, tears gushing down their cheeks. 

Tommy wouldn’t do this. As much as he trash-talked Dream, he still cared and he wouldn’t take Techno because they were friends. Tommy was friends with them and friends wouldn’t do that to each other.

Tommy wouldn’t do that to Tubbo. He wouldn’t do that to anyone. 

They lied there on the wooden floor for a few minutes before they finally got up. With one last glance at the picture, Tubbo shoved it into their pocket before making their way to the main building. For a second, Tubbo just stared at it, knowing that Dream, Sapnap, and George built it together, as friends. And suddenly, the building felt darker.

Quickly, Tubbo found the door in the building that led to the main server. But as soon as they were in the main server, all they saw was Tommy’s face on the screens, declaring him ‘dangerous’ and Tubbo could barely breathe. 

They saw all of their faces cycle through. A different screen showed a picture of Techno and Dream before the Championship started, smiling brightly and then the picture disappeared, showing one of Wilbur, Phil and Techno.

Out of all the people, Tubbo thought Phil and Wilbur were the most unlikely to do this. They already called each other family, why would they need to kidnap others to do that? Phil was always so sweet to Tubbo and even though Wilbur could also be chaotic, he has said that Tubbo reminded Wilbur of himself.

That thought made Tubbo feel disgusting. They didn’t want to be anything like Wilbur. 

They tore their gaze away and ran towards the MCC server. Scott would know what happened, right? But as they approached the door, they saw a crowd of people wanting to get in. However, when Tubbo got there, the crowd suddenly went silent with the occasional whisper. The crowd made a path for Tubbo straight to the door.

Tubbo gritted his teeth. They were acting like just because Tommy was their best friend, they must be insane too. The guard took one look on their face and hastily let them through.

They entered the lobby with a white flash but then, they were almost immediately teleported to the arena where Scott and Bad waited for them. And Tubbo took one look at Bad and immediately collapsed into tears.

Bad just swept them up in a hug, murmuring words that Tubbo couldn’t make out.

The two never really knew each other but in the wake of this tragedy, where Bad lost his family and Tubbo lost theirs, they could find comfort in each other. Bad just lost three of his best friends while Tubbo lost their best friend along with friends who were basically family. 

But there was one question; what do they do now?

\---

As the sun slowly rose in the east, Techno wrapped his red cloak tighter around Dream and warmed his hands by the fire. It was dangerous to make a fire while they were trying to hide but Dream had no cloak and he would freeze in this autumn weather without one. Dream did say that George and Sapnap gave him a cloak when they went into the garden for the first time but took it away as soon as they were back inside. He didn’t know where they took it.

Techno just cursed at those back-stabbing friends in his head before scooting closer to the fire, careful to not wake up Dream who was leaning against him. They took the rest of the night in shifts and Techno opted for the early shift so he could watch the sun rise.

He wasn’t typically a sentimental man but after those two days basically trapped in the house and those awful cells, he just wanted to see the darkness of the night blend into the day. 

Dream mumbled in his sleep and curled up tighter. Techno just glanced down at him, a small smile on his face. When Techno heard that they would be teaming up, he knew it would be great; they were both good players and could maybe win but suddenly, they were relying on each other to escape. Suddenly, they were more than just teammates. They were survivors.

Techno tightened his grip around Dream. Techno was always protective of people he cared about. When Phil died in his five year hardcore world, Techno offered him comfort and teasingly threatened to dropkick that baby zombie. When Wilbur had trouble in SMP Live, Techno was ready to throw hands.

But now, Phil and Wilbur weren’t his family.

It felt so good to admit it.

Sure, they used to be his family but that was shattered when Phil hit him with that arrow. That was shattered when Wilbur threatened him and Dream if they ran away. That was shattered when they locked Techno away. 

It was just Techno and Dream now. But this time, Techno won’t let Dream get hurt, won’t let him fall like Phil and Wilbur did. Techno won’t let Dream die, he won’t. They will get out of this together. They will be okay. 

It was just Techno and Dream now.

And that was good enough for him. 

Dream let out another mumble before his eyes suddenly opened. He took his mask off to sleep, saying it might break but as soon as he sat up, Techno’s cloak around his shoulder, Dream put it back on. 

“What time is it?” Dream asked, wrapping the cloak around him again. Techno just nodded at the rising sun. “Wow.”

Techno chuckled. “Can’t believe I missed the sun rising out of everything out of everything I could have missed.”

Dream let out a wheeze. “I think I miss home out of everything. I can’t wait until I can sleep in my own bed again.”

Nodding, Techno leaned back against a tree, watching the sunset silently. Dream did the same thing. The adrenaline left them hours ago and their energy was sapping but they drank in the moment to breathe and figure everything else.

However, the somewhat peaceful atmosphere was suddenly broken when Dream’s head shot up, almost hitting Techno in the chin.

“I know how we’re going to get out of here,” Dream almost yelled but Techno gently shushed him. “Sapnap told me that this was a brand new server and that they spent almost all of their time building. That means they haven’t killed the Ender Dragon.”

“And that means?”

“Techno, when you kill her and go into the portal for the first time, you get teleported back to the main server, no matter if the server is locked or not. It was put in by the creators because barely anyone kills the dragon and as a safety measure in case someone got trapped in. When you go into the portal, you get two options; respawn or exit. It’s our way out.”

Techno, for a second, was speechless before his face broke into a smile. He wrapped Dream up in a hug and let out a laugh that echoed in the woods. Pulling the both of them up, Techno squeezed Dream hard who just laughed. 

“We’re going to get out,” Techno yelled. “We’re going to be okay!”

And the sun slowly rose behind them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> one last thing: if you guys have any ideas for the manhunt (traps, plays, ideas), please comment them!! i'm having a bit of trouble finding stuff for it


	8. A Leap of Faith

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After a sneak peek at what the outsiders are doing, the manhunt finally begins.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please read!!!  
> First, thank you for 400 kudos and 2,800 hits!! This was way more than I ever expected.  
> Second, I plan on writing something else after this story ends and the options are below! Comment your favorite or any you want me to write  
> 1\. After getting hit by Tommy in the minecart, Dream wakes up in L'Manburg with none of his memories.  
> 2\. The Championship is a real world-wide championship. Techno and Dream team up for the first time and must travel around the world, completing challenges with bounties over their heads.  
> 3\. Dream and Tubbo are siblings in the apocalypse, just trying to survive when they come across Phil, Wilbur, Techno and Tommy. Now, they must save humanity.  
> Tell me which one you like or you can tell me your idea!!  
> Also, if you have ideas for the manhunt, please drop them below  
> Thank you and I love you all!! <3  
> Enjoy the chapter I was planning on releasing tomorrow!!!

“What if we mess up?” Bad was nervously pacing, questions spurting out. “What if it doesn’t open? What if they don’t know that it will work? What if-”

“Bad,” Skeppy’s voice stopped the elder dead in his tracks. Skeppy showed up a few minutes after Tubbo, already knowing the story. “It will work.”

“Dream will know that if he goes through the portal, he’ll get an option to head back to the main server,” Scott explained. “And we’ll be there to make sure they get through. George is a good coder; once he figures out their plan, he’ll change the code so that they’ll spawn right back on the server. We are here to make sure they get back which they will.”

“What about the respawn menu?” Tubbo spoke up, fidgeting on the bed he sat on in the main building on the Dream SMP, where they decided to meet up. “Will that be fixed?”

“Locked in,” Scott answered. “The only option they would get if they died is respawn. It was made that way when they created the server and even I can’t change that. However, the option to go back to the main hub after the End is still there. Even if George changes it, I can change it back.”

\---

The rules of manhunt were simple; there were runners and hunters. The hunters’ job is to kill the runners before they defeat the Ender Dragon. The runners’ job was to make it to the End and kill the Ender Dragon without dying. Simple, right? 

However, in manhunt, it’s very easy to slip up. One misplaced block, one wrong swing, one bad hit; one mistake can end the game. And it suddenly isn’t a game when your entire life depends on you winning. 

The whole game was different. The hunters didn’t know where the runners were going, the runners didn’t know if their plan would work, and the hunters, this time, weren’t holding back. They didn’t care if it hurt, they didn’t care if the runners slowly bled out as long as they won.

Everything was different. 

Dream and Techno made their way through the forests in search for a cave. While Techno had a stone sword, Dream had a stone ax held tightly in his hands. They two proceeded cautiously; one creeper could send them all the way back to the mansion. 

George, Sapnap, Tommy, Phil and Wilbur must have been awake and searching but Techno and Dream were long gone. Dream did tell Techno about his encounter with Tommy; Techno only nodded. Other than that, they didn’t have much to say.

When Dream did his very first manhunt, he was terrified but at least he knew that it was fake. At least he knew that if he lost, that’s all that would happen. He would just lose. But now, if he lost, he didn’t know what would happen. What would they do to him?

“Dream,” Techno grabbed his arm and pointed a bit away where a plain biome waited before it suddenly cut off. “What’s over there?

Letting a smile out, Dream turned to Techno. “Race you there.”

Dream then sprinted off, laughing as Techno sputtered before running after him. They both finally broke free of the woods as they ran through the field, their laughter loud in the air. And for a second, everything seemed normal. 

However, as they got closer, they started to see the ocean more. They stopped right before they could go straight over a cliff, straight into the water. Dream grabbed Techno’s arm, pulling him back. 

“Was not expecting that,” Techno mumbled, staring across the vast ocean. He looked straight down and the water slowly ate at the cliff; it must have been making a cave hidden from what they could see. However, the waves seemed to be huge and rough; no one could survive even a minute there. “Which way now?”

Dream glanced to his left where there was a continuation of the plains biome and to the right was a continuation of the forest. “In the plains, we’ll be sitting ducks. We’ll go to the woods and hopefully find a cave.”

However, Dream didn’t move just yet. He just stood, staring out at the water but then, his soft smile slipped off his face. “Do you think they know we are gone?”

“Of course we know.”

As fast as lightning, Techno and Dream whipped around, faced with the smiling faces of Wilbur, George, Phil, and Sapnap. Tommy was slightly behind them and was trying to apologize with his eyes. They each held a weapon; Wilbur and George with a sword, Sapnap and Tommy with an ax, and Phil with a bow. However, this time, the swords were diamond, the axes were iron and the arrows didn’t have any potion on them. 

They weren’t planning on just putting them to sleep. 

Phil spoke again, “You think it would be that easy to escape?”

“Something seemed off,” Techno stepped a bit in front of Dream, almost shielding him. “It was too simple.”

“Good job, Techno, you’re right. We hoped that you would have the common sense to just stay put; after all, there’s no one coming to get you and there’s no way out of the server.”

“But?” Dream narrowed his eyes behind his mask. Sapnap turned to him.

“Isn’t it simple, Dream? How about a fun game of manhunt?”

“What are you talking about?” Techno growled. 

“We knew you would try to escape,” Wilbur explained. “We knew you would go through the garden. We knew it all.”

“What are you trying to get at?” Dream’s grip on his stone ax tightened.

“We let you free so we could chase you down,” George finally said. “You’ll try to run and we’ll catch you. That way, you’ll know you belong to us.”

“That makes no sense!” Dream tried to walk towards George but an arm from Techno stopped him. “Why let us go?”

“Dream, Dream, Dream,” Phil shook his head. “We know you can’t escape from a locked server and you know that too. However, we feel that this manhunt will show you what it’s like to have us as enemies. If you try to run away, we will hunt you down. This initial manhunt is to just show you that no matter where you turn, where you run, you will never escape and you’ll be with us forever.”

Phil screamed the last part, causing Dream and Techno to take a step back. Dream’s foot almost slipped over the edge and as he looked back, he just saw the raging ocean behind them. 

“You’ll always be here with us,” Wilbur whispered. “We’re just letting you figure that out for yourself. There is no escape. There is no out. There is only us; there is only you.”

The reason finally dawned on Techno. “You wanted us to escape so that we’ll see that there is no way out.”

Sapnap smiled. “Now, you’re getting it.”

“So,” George rested his sword on his shoulder. “Now that you see that there is nowhere to go, will you come back with us peacefully or will we have to kill you so you can respawn back home? Don’t forget, you both already tried to escape and neither went well. Final try.”

“How did you even find us?” Dream blurted out, trying to stall as they thought of something. They were outnumbered, they were undersupplied; they would never win. “We had half the night to run. You didn’t even know where to start looking.”

Sapnap suddenly pulled out a compass and Dream’s face paled. “Recognize it? We added it in, just in case. No matter where you go, we’ll find you.”

“Dream, Techno,” Phil’s voice adopted a caring tone that sent shivers down the two in question’s backs. “Why don’t you just come home? You look starving. You can be with family.”

“That place isn’t our home,” Dream yelled, tears building up in his eyes. Techno grabbed his hand comfortingly. “It will never be. My home is back on my server with Patches and Techno and Bad and Tubbo and everyone else. That place was never our home, it was our nightmare!”

Dream looked away, tears sliding down his face under his mask. He glanced back at the ocean, a plan finally forming in his head.

“And you aren’t our family,” Techno whispered but they could all hear it. “You never will be.”

“I guess we’re doing this the hard way,” Phil pulled back an arrow but before he could fire, Dream, pulling Techno along, jumped off the cliff. They fell for a dozen feet before Techno was able to grasp a stray branch. With one hand, he held onto the branch and with the other, he held onto Dream’s hand.

“Why did you do that?” Techno yelled, the crashing waves suddenly louder. “We’re dead!”

Dream glanced up where the hunters were on the edge, smiling at them. However, Tommy just looked sick. His mask was pushed aside a tad so Dream winked at him before looking back at Techno who’s grip was slowly getting looser. He couldn’t hold on much longer. The weight was too much. 

“Do you trust me?” Dream asked and Techno looked confused.

“Of course I do.”

“Then let go.”

After a second of hesitation, Techno let go of the branch and together, the two fell into the wild ocean, still clasping hands.


	9. Ember Imitation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Techno and Dream survive and start to collect supplies while looking for a lava pool.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here is the next chapter!! Once again, thank you all for the continuous support!!  
> The poll for the new story is still on so vote if you haven't! The options are in the notes on chapter 8! Right now, the amnesia one is winning with 18 votes, the apocalypse one next with 14 votes and the championship one in last with 9 votes. I will probably write all of these but this poll is too see which one comes first!  
> Thank you and enjoy !! :)

Gasping for breath, Dream pulled himself onto the rock, his clothes soaked to the bones. Techno was next to him, his crown tightly grasped in his hands. The cave echoed around them as the water lapped at the rocks they laid on, the sound of the waves overpowering everything else

They were alive.

Techno turned his head to face Dream. “We’re never following your plan again.”

Dream just let out a wheeze. “It worked, didn’t it?”

“You’re insane,” Was all Techno said.

“In manhunt, you have to be willing to take the leap. You have to be willing to try the play that no one expects,” Dream slowly sat up, adjusting his mask. “You have to be willing to risk everything to make it to the next day.”

Dream trailed off and glanced down at his lap. 

“Here, there’s iron in this cave and it goes down further,” Techno slowly got up, taking off his wet cloak as he did. He offered a hand to Dream. “Let’s show them what we’re made of.”

With a smile, Dream took his hand and allowed Techno to pull him up. Together, the two made their way into the cave.

\---

“They’re still alive.”

“Let them think they have the upper hand. Then, we hit them with everything we got.”

“But what if they get iron? What if they get better weapons?”

“Where are they going to go? There is no way out of here.”

\---

Dream sat on top of the furnace, his body heated by the fire lit inside it as it burned their iron ore down. Techno sat across him on the floor of the small mineshaft, sharpening the iron sword he had. Iron armor was wrapped tightly around both of their bodies, still a bit warm from the furnace. 

Techno’s cloak was back around his shoulder, dried after they left it by the furnaces for the hour they searched desperately for iron. Dream was slowly stitching a cloak together from leather he got from cows when they were in the forest. Some string kept it all together while a sliver of iron was used to stitch the string through. 

A fishing rod lied next to Techno where he was able to reach it in a second if needed. He insisted on having it and Dream, knowing what he could do with it, gave up some of the string he got from cobwebs to Techno.

A minecart track sat between the two, a minecart a bit to the left of the furnaces. They found it on their quest for iron and thought it might be helpful when they were lugging everything around. The minetrack veered downwards to the right and kept going, still intact. The two of them didn’t follow it all the way but hoped it was all still together. 

Finally, Dream finished the cloak, his fingers aching from the sewing. He wrapped it around his shoulders, tying it around his neck. The cave, which was usually damp and cool, felt a bit warmer with the leather and burning furnaces. 

Dream’s ax was buckled across his back, under the cloak. The rest of his things were in his inventory. While searching, they found a minecart chest which gifted them a golden apple and it was protected in Techno’s inventory. 

“Move your legs,” Techno mumbled as he got up, setting his sword down and moving to the furnaces. Dream swung his legs up, pulling them against his chest as he glanced down at Techno who checked the iron. “That’s all of it. Do you have the flint?”

Dream passed it over and watched Techno shove in some raw meat into the furnaces before making two flint and steels, passing one over to Dream who clipped it onto his belt. The food slowly cooked as Techno made two buckets with the very last of their iron. Following the minecart tracks, they each got a bucket of water before taking cautious sips of the water. It tasted metallic but at least it was clean. 

They kept the water bucket in their inventories before walking back up to their temporary base.

“We just need a lava pool now,” Dream mentioned and Techno just nodded. “Did you see any lava?”

“Just one source,” Techno answered. “I think we will have more luck on the surface.”

Techno extinguished the flames in the furnace, making the tunnel they were in go dark. Dream brought out a torch and held it by Techno as he got out the food, splitting it evenly between the two of them. 

“We can kill endermen as we search,” Dream munched on a steak quietly. “Or we can use the piglins but that isn’t always guaranteed.”

“We’ll do both,” Techno decided. “We don’t want to get to the stronghold and realize that we’re short.”

Dream nodded and brought out his pickaxe after placing the torch on the wall. He picked up the furnaces and set them in his inventory as Techno picked up stray sticks and wood. They would need it later for shields. He also grabbed his fishing rod.

Then, they heard the sound of breaking blocks and immediately froze. They glanced at each other before at the stone ceiling. The sound came from where the tracks started. Techno and Dream started to slowly back away, getting ready to run.

Before they could run, however, George and Sapnap fell through the ceiling, dressed in full iron and holding diamond weapons. 

“Nice trick you pulled back there, Dream,” Sapnap brought his ax forward, ready to attack. “Too bad we knew that you were still alive.”

“But you didn’t know where we were,” Dream said smugly but it was just bravado. “That is a big no-no in manhunt; never lose track of the runners.”

“We won’t this time,” George said before he ran at them, swinging straight at Techno who blocked. Sapnap came at Dream and aimed straight at Dream’s chest. Dream was just able to get his ax out before blocking, glaring at Sapnap who just laughed. 

George and Sapnap started to push them back, their diamond weapons hitting harder and faster than Techno and Dream’s iron ones. Techno got almost thrown back by a wild swing from George and coincidentally hit the minecart which started to move down the tracks down the cave. He smiled.

Dream grunted as Sapnap and George both came at him. Usually, he was able to predict their moves; Sapnap was always more wild, more rough, preferring stabbing, and George was more graceful, preferring swings and swipes. However, this time, they were both going wild. Dream dodged a swing from Sapnap before pushing himself out of the way of George’s stab. 

Then, Techno grabbed him, pulling him out of the way of another rogue hit from Sapnap, and pushing him into the minecart. Dream fell in it rather ungracefully and the minecart started to go down the cave, picking up speed. Techno ran after it, George and Sapnap right behind him.

“Come here, Dream!” Sapnap screamed. “Come here, Techno!”

Dream sat up, reaching out for Techno. Techno was just able to reach and with all his strength, Dream yanked Techno into the minecart. Techno fell on top of Dream and the minecart started to move even faster, leaving George and Sapnap behind in the dust. 

As they sped through the old mineshaft, Dream and Techno sat up, their hair getting whipped back as they moved faster and faster and went deeper and deeper into the caves. 

“Oh my god!” Dream yelled, pumping his hand into the air. “That was amazing. How did you know the tracks went this far?”

“I guessed,” Techno admitted, moving to the front of the minecart to see what was coming up. “Like you guessed that this cave was here.”

Dream rolled his eyes. “Mine was an educational guess.”

“Keep telling yourself that.”

They both let out a yelp as they took an unexpected dive before straightening out again. The cave steadily got brighter, like they were approaching a light source.

However, they then heard laughter. Glancing back, their hearts started to beat faster as George and Sapnap, also in a cart, sped after them. 

“How did they catch up so fast?” Dream yelled, turning back to Techno. The cave got brighter and brighter. “They couldn’t have crafted one that soon.”

“Guess they could,” Techno gritted his teeth before leaning forward, silently urging the minecart faster. “Oh, god.”

“What?” Dream whipped around and his breath caught in his throat when he saw the abrupt end of the tracks straight into lava. “You’re kidding me.”

“We’re gonna have to jump,” Techno decided as they got closer. “On my mark.”

“We’ll never make it!”

“Dream, I trusted you with the cliff. Trust me with this.”

At those words, Dream nodded. The lava got closer and he could feel the blinding heat. They started to reach the edge of the tracks and it slanted a bit upwards, giving the perfect angle for this insane stunt.

“Now!” Techno unexpectedly screamed and the two of them jumped from the minecart, using it to get more height. They crashed harshly on the stone on the other side of the lava pool, alive.

George and Sapnap were not so lucky and their minecart dove into the lava, bringing them down with it. They screamed and it echoed in the cave before the lava finally buried them.

Techno and Dream could only watch.


	10. And Counting

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> We see what's happening on the outside.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you like!!!

Tubbo didn’t want to go out there. They just wanted to go home and curl up in a ball and expand their house and see Tommy-

Scratch that last part. Tubbo didn’t want to see Tommy or Wilbur or Phil or George or Sapnap. If anything, they wanted to see Dream and Technoblade. 

“Tubbo,” Bad’s voice brought Tubbo out of their panic-induced thoughts. “You don’t have to speak if you don’t want to. Everyone will understand.”

“No,” Tubbo shook their head, straightening up. “I want to.”

Bad just wrapped his arm around Tubbo’s shoulders, pulling the teen close. Tubbo pretended not to notice the tears dripping down Bad’s cheek. 

It had now been five days and counting. 

Dream and Technoblade have been missing for five days and counting. 

And Tubbo hasn’t seen his best friend in five days and counting. 

“You’re up,” Scott walked off the stage, a pained smile on his face as he clutched his notecards. Tubbo just nodded. “Good luck.”

Bad gave them one last hug before sending Tubbo off.

And as Tubbo walked onto the stage, all they could remember was Tommy’s last words to him.

“Are you nervous?”

“Of course I am. This championship will change everything.”

The cameras swung to watch Tubbo as they walked across the stage towards the podium that was covered in microphones from various news sources and servers. Tubbo could see Hypixel’s mic in the mix.

It was an evening press conference and it was Scott’s idea. He said that the people want to know what they were doing and how they were. All of them were prominent players who livestreamed and recorded for the common player; their fans were worried. They messaged Tubbo day and night, asking questions and sometimes, they made Tubbo just want to curl into a ball.

Tubbo did want to right now but instead, they cleared their throat and began.

“My name is Tubbo,” Tubbo started. “And my best friend is--was TommyInnit, one of the capturers.”

Tubbo let out a shaky sigh. “When I found out what happened, I, like you, couldn’t believe it. I knew all of the players personally and some I would have considered family.”

The word ‘family’ felt like sand.

“But now, I see that they showed their true colors and they kidnapped two of the best players I know. I had the chance to be with Dream while he trained for the Championship even though I wasn’t a part of it. He said he wanted someone to hang out with and that he wanted to know who I was without L’Manburg.”

When they said L’Manburg, it felt fake.

L’Manburg fell when Wilbur and Tommy did. 

“So, for about two hours, he taught me all he knew about parkour as he ran the course over and over again. Dream promised that if I got into the next Championship, no matter which team I’m on, I could go to him for help.”

“As a man, I knew Dream as caring and brotherly.”

Tubbo took a breath, trying to stop the tears.

“I met Techno through Wilbur. And while we didn’t hit it off right away, he was still there. I had the chance to duel him once and though I lost horrifically, Techno helped me up and showed me what I did wrong. He showed me how to properly use a fishing rod in fights and how to use the high ground to my advantage.”

“And although we didn’t hang out much, I still considered Techno a friend, family even. He was always protective and after our duels, he made sure I was okay before we’d start again.”

“As a man, I knew Technoblade as kind and loyal.”

Tubbo couldn’t stop the tears from flowing down their face now.

“We are doing everything we can to get them back. We are doing everything we can to know where they went. We are doing everything we can to bring Technoblade and Dream home,” Tubbo turned their gaze from the audience to the camera recording them. “And the people who did this to them, to me, to Bad, to Scott, to all of us will be brought to justice.”

The audience burst into a weird mix of applause, cheers, and questions but Tubbo ignored it all and almost ran off the stage. The words, while spilling out for the speech, couldn’t come now as they ran straight to Bad who they never knew they would be close to.

Traumatic events can push you to the most unlikely people. 

“You did great,” Skeppy smiled at them, patting Tubbo’s shoulder when they finally pulled away from Bad. “It was amazing.”

“Yeah, Skeppy’s right, it was,” Bad said. “I’m proud of you.” 

“I just want to go home,” Tubbo mumbled and Bad nodded. “Can I stay on your server, Skeppy?”

“Of course,” Skeppy nodded.

Tubbo didn’t have to tell them that they didn’t want to sleep in a server where everywhere Tubbo turned reminded them of the friends they lost. It was understood.

However, before they could leave the wings of the stage, Scott, who left to take a call, rushed to them.

“Fundy’s got it,” Was all he said but they all understood.

When Scott figured that they could mess from the server’s code from the outside, he immediately called Fundy who is albeit a better coder to try some ideas. 

And the main one was to get eyes on the inside. 

Fundy managed to change the code to allow people outside of the server to watch what was going on on the inside of the server. So, they could all see what was happening and maybe help Dream and Techno escape.

They all ran to the Dream SMP which was right next to the locked server. It shared a wall of code so it was the best place to change the locked server’s code. Making their way out of the main building, they all followed the wooden path to a small door in a hill. They walked in to see Fundy in front of multiple monitors that showed different things.

And the middle one showed Techno and Dream sitting beside a lava pool.

“How did you get it up?” Skeppy asked, his lips turning up into a smile. 

“I know my stuff,” Fundy shrugged, turning around in the chair. “I’ve been recording since I could get it up but there is something you should see.”

“What is it?” Tubbo stepped forward, almost mesmerized as they watched Tommy, Phil, and Wilbur also walk through a cave, following a compass on the top left monitor. Fundy smiled sadly up at them. 

“Well, the footage follows players. Just watch.”

And they watched. They watched Dream make a cloak and Techno sharpen his sword. They watched George and Sapnap break through the ceiling and Techno and Dream jump into a minecart. They watched the chase scene and Techno and Dream barely making it over the lava. They watched George and Sapnap die painfully in the lava. 

Then, they watched Techno and Dream’s conversation. Dream spoke first. 

“How long do you think until they respawn?”

“From lava? I’ll say about 2 to 3 hours. But then, they have to track us down again.”

“They do have the compasses. They probably have a whole stack of them at the mansion, all locked on us.”

“Well, they don’t work in the nether. And we have a lava pool right in front of us.”

“You’re right. But why do you think it was just George and Sapnap?” 

“They are the most experienced hunters. Maybe they thought they could catch us.”

“Well, then where are Phil, Tommy, and Wilbur?”

“Hopefully, far away from here.”

The recording stopped and the monitors returned to their live stream. 

“They’re doing a manhunt,” Bad gasped out. “It’s a manhunt.”

“That’s what it looks like,” Fundy admitted. “And it looks like Phil, Wilbur and Tommy are close to where Dream and Techno are.”

“We have to help them,” Tubbo suddenly exclaimed. “They don’t know.”

“How do we tell them?” Scott asked and that’s where Tubbo fumbled.

“You can probably do small messages with mobs,” Skeppy offered. “Dream did that video, the one where George controls the mob. Dream said that the video was hard to do because George couldn’t keep control of the mobs because they fought but if it was small enough, it was easy.”

“We could control the mobs from here,” Fundy realized. “Skeppy, you’re a genius! Tubbo, can you go to the main building? Dream has a box there of notebooks that are old codes for videos. Find the controlled mobs one.”

Tubbo couldn’t help but smile. “Ay, ay, Fundy!”

Sprinting out of the small room, Tubbo made it to the main building in record time and found Dream’s box under his bed in seconds. Tubbo started to rustle through it, searching for the right code. Finally, they found the right one and clutched it close to their chest. 

They could send messages to Dream and Techno. They could help them escape. 

And for the first time in five days, things were starting to look up.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Does this all make sense?? Please let me know if it doesn't.


	11. The Lies We Keep

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dream and Techno build a nether portal when they're suddenly interrupted by Phil, Wilbur, and Tommy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here we are, new chapter!!  
> Also, as per a request, this story will have two endings; a good one and a bad one. It will just be the final chapter and I will label each clearly :)

The water was cold to the touch as Dream carefully poured it over the lava, turning the burning magma to obsidian. It was a precarious process, using the no-diamond route to build a nether portal. A lot could mess it up; too much water comes out, you fall in, the obsidian spawns in the wrong spot. However, as a speed runner, Dream knew exactly what he was doing.

Placing blocks in a specific way, Dream placed the water, letting it spill over the bottom of the portal before grabbing buckets of lava. He placed them quickly, the portal forming before their eyes. He worked quickly, the lava burning at his skin as Dream tried to keep his balance.

Techno kept watch, prowling back and forth in a way that reminded Dream of a mother lioness protecting her cubs. His sword seemed to be permanently in his hands and he stalked back and forth, his eyes keeping a sharp lookout. 

Half of the portal was finished. The jagged obsidian looked deadly and glared dangerously in the lava but it held steady. Sweat dripped down Dream’s forehead and he worked faster and faster, trying to get the portal done before any hunters caught them. 

However, he was so busy with the portal that he almost didn’t notice Phil, Tommy, and Wilbur coming out of a cave. Thankfully, Techno noticed. 

“Keep building,” Techno told Dream before approaching the trio, ready for a fight. His eyes were deadly. 

Phil merely smiled. “We’ll give you one last chance to back down.”

“Rather die than play make-pretend with you,” Techno growled out, relishing in the shocked faces they made. He smiled. 

Phil let out a yell before throwing himself at Techno, their swords clashing. Tommy ran to help the older man while Wilbur jumped down onto the small platform that Dream made in the middle of the lava. 

Wilbur came at Dream almost recklessly; it was obvious that he hadn't trained in PVP very much but his moves were more precise. George or Sapnap must have trained him. Dream unsheathed his ax, dropping the bucket of lava in the small divot the portal made. Half of the portal was finished and Wilbur was guarding the other half. 

Dream pushed the handle of his ax against Wilbur’s sword, successfully pushing it away from his face. Wilbur just swung around, aiming straight for Dream’s torso and Dream simply stepped out of the way. However, it pushed him closer to the lava and further away from the portal. 

With a deadly silence, Dream sprinted forward and when Wilbur’s sword came swinging at him, Dream suddenly dropped to his knees and slid a bit. His ax cut Wilbur’s left leg severely between his iron armor and Wilbur let out a yell of pain. Dream quickly stood again, the portal now to his back. And while Wilbur was distracted, Dream grabbed another bucket of lava, pouring it over the portal and completing the final side. All that was left was one block at the top. 

Meanwhile, Techno met Phil’s initial swing, holding out against the elder. His hand fingered his fishing rod and he pushed Phil’s sword away from his own body. However, Techno didn’t get a chance to get it out as Tommy came at him behind him; Techno has dueled Tommy before and he knew that Tommy wasn’t using his full strength. 

Phil’s sword hit him straight in the armor on his arm and Techno knew it would bruise. However, it also gave him the time to grab his fishing rod, casting it at Tommy. With all his might, Techno pulled Tommy towards him and stepped out of the way at the last second, sending the teen down a dark cave. 

Techno didn’t want to hurt him. However, that seemed to make Phil even angrier and his hits began to push Techno towards the lava pool. Glancing back, Techno saw Dream grab the lava bucket and finish the second to last piece of the nether portal. 

They just needed to get to the nether. There, they could lose them. 

“Dream, switch!” Techno yelled and he casted his fishing rods upwards. Thankfully, it caught around some stone and Techno swung into the air, landing gracefully on top of the nether portal. He casted his line down to yank Wilbur up there with him.

Dream seemed to understand what he meant and he turned around just as Phil jumped down to the platform. With the bucket still in his hands, Dream spun around, picked up some lava before throwing a bit of it at Phil. Phil screamed and Dream tried to finish the portal.

Before he could, Phil tackled him from behind and the bucket went flying into the lava pool. The two wrestled for the bit, each trying to get the upper hand but finally, Phil pinned Dream down, the younger’s wrists held on either side of his head. 

Meanwhile, Techno balanced precariously on the nether portal, trying to knock Wilbur off. Wilbur, who was taller and had a longer stride, was having trouble staying on the obsidian. With his fishing rod, Techno wrapped the string around Wilbur’s ankle and pulled. Wilbur fell off the portal but unfortunately landed on the platform.

That’s when he noticed Phil on top of Dream. But before he could do anything, Dream headbutted Phil with his mask, making Phil release his hands and sit up. With his ax, Dream swung up and a line of red appeared on Phil’s arm. 

However, his mask, which had two small cracks from the initial dive into the ocean and the minecart ride, now had a long one started from the top of the mask down to one of the eyes. It was slowly breaking. 

Dream smiled triumphantly before standing again, facing Phil who, even though he was bleeding out, brought his sword up again. However, Dream just whipped around and got out his pickaxe. He threw it at a seemingly random piece of stone and it started to crack. Phil just stared, confused, but then, the crack got big enough and lava started to flow down, right to where the final piece of the nether portal was.

“George and Sapnap told us that you were good at improvisation,” Phil said, trying to catch Dream off-guard. 

Dream just raised his ax again. “Glad they warned you.”

With new energy, Dream swung and swiped at Phil, dodging and ducking under sword swings. The lava slowly bled down and Dream kept an eye on it the entire time, watching Phil with the other. 

Then, Dream performed a complicated-looking spin that drove his ax straight into Phil’s chest. Dream ripped it out before watching Phil fall straight into the lava, dead before he even hit it. 

While Dream battled Phil, Techno was getting annoyed by Wilbur. With a growl, Techno casted the rod straight at Wilbur’s shirt and pulled him close, driving his sword straight into Wilbur’s heart. Wilbur let out a final gasp before he crumbled, falling off of Techno’s sword, straight into lava. 

Techno glanced to the right at Dream who was staring up. Looking up, Techno saw the lava hit the water, forming the final part of the nether portal before it flowed over back into the lava pool. 

Dream moved his mask to the side of his head, making eye-contact with Techno. Dream smiled dopily and Techno just shook his head fondly. 

Then, Techno remembered Tommy. He jumped out of the lava pool, Dream following him in curiosity. They waited for a few seconds before Tommy walked out of the cave, a few scratches on him but otherwise, unharmed. 

“You did that on purpose,” Tommy accused and Techno only shrugged. “Well, what are you waiting for?”

Techno approached the teen slowly. “Tommy, I’m going to ask again; are you happy with them?”

This time, Tommy hesitated before answering. “I want to go home. Not to that mansion but my home on the other server. I wanna see Tubbo again.”

“Come with us, then,” Dream stepped forward. “We’re going to escape. We’ll take you with us.”

Tommy shook his head violently. “I can’t. Then, they’ll…”

“What will they do?” Dream whispered. 

“I don’t want to talk about it,” Tommy decided. “Just kill me otherwise they’ll know I betrayed them.”

As much as Techno and Dream wanted to argue, it was Tommy’s decision.

“Do they know we’re going to kill the dragon?” Dream, instead, asked. Tommy nodded.

“Sapnap figured it out. George is probably trying to change the code now.”

“We still have to try,” Dream nodded. “And Tommy?”

The teen glanced up at him.

“When the hunters come to the End with us because I know they will, you’re coming through that portal with us.”

“We’ll take you back to Tubbo,” Techno promised and though Tommy would deny it, tears filled his eyes. “Now-”

“I know,” Tommy shrugged, wiping away tears. “Get it over with. Take the food I have and my diamond sword. Dream, I also have a diamond ax in my inventory. Take that too.” 

Dream nodded before Techno approached the teen, ready to drive his sword through him. 

“One last thing, Dream.”

Dream titled his head.

“I’ve never seen you without a mask before this happened and I got to say; you’re ugly.”

Dream let out a laugh that echoed in the cave. Tommy let out a quiet chuckle himself before nodding at Techno who drove the sword straight through Tommy’s heart. He was dead seconds later and his body disappeared a minute later, dropping some steak, a sword, and an ax. 

With the new stuff, they lit the portal and went through.

Technoblade has made the achievement [We Need to Go Deeper].

Dream has made the achievement [We Need to Go Deeper].


	12. Freedom Guides the People

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dream and Techno enter the nether but when they separate, a small bee appears by Dream.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here is the next chapter!!  
> And in case you didn't see, I will be having two endings to this story (good and bad). They will be labeled accordingly!!  
> Enjoy!! :)

“He just wants to come home. It’s obvious he’s trapped there or something, you saw what he said on the camera!”

“I know but it’s too dangerous for him to go with Dream and Techno.”

“But-”

“If he went with them, the others would hunt them down harder and if he died, we don’t know what would happen to him. Besides, he can help from the inside.”

“He won’t be arrested, right?”

“Not if we can help it.”

\---

The nether was as dark and dingy as Dream remembered. The portal spawned right next to a cliff and whenever he stared at it, all he could be reminded of is the burning lava scorching his skin as he tried to drink the fire resistance potion. The feeling of lava right on his toes as the ender pearl teleported him away in the nick of time. The uncomfortable warmth of the magma after he ate the golden apple.

The manhunts always brought good memories but they brought terrible ones too. 

Techno immediately started to build over a huge lava pool towards a nearby nether fortress, the nether brick stark against the red nether rack. Dream carefully followed, watching the lava bubble and pop, remembering what it felt like to burn alive. 

“Dream.”

Dream’s head snapped towards Techno who was on the nether fortress, reaching down to help him up. Swallowing nervously, Dream took his hand and let the pink-haired man pull him up.

“You alright?” Techno said roughly, the hot air of the nether already getting to him. 

“Yeah,” Dream swallowed. “Just don’t like the nether in manhunts.

Techno just nodded, dropping the subject. Together, they traveled through the nether fortress, searching for its signature blaze spawner. They found it hanging over the lava pool, the mobs forming in the cage.

Panting, Dream took off his cloak, putting it over the fence. Sweat slipped down his face and he kept his mask on the side of his head. He slid down the nether brick, resting his arms on his knees. Techno stayed standing, leaning against the fence. The blaze spawner whirred in between them.

“I hate waiting,” Dream chuckled weakly, the heat making him tired and weak. “Always the worst part of these manhunts.”

Techno smirked. “Who knew that patience would be the ultimate fate of Dream?”

“Shut up, Techno,” Dream nodded fondly. “I can be patient.”

“I’m having trouble believing it.”

Dream leaned his head back against the block, closing his eyes as the days’ events started to catch up to him. The heat didn’t make things better.

Techno chuckled softly before walking over to Dream, squatting in front of him. Dream opened one eye to look at him. 

“Why don’t you go and pillage the fortress?” Techno offered.

“But what if the hunters come back?”

“I think I can handle George and Sapnap. The other three won’t respawn for a while, after all. Go, Dream. I don’t want you to fall asleep when blazes spawn.”

Dream chuckled before standing, unsteady on his feet. “Just don’t come crying when they kick your ass.”

“Go, Dream.”

Letting out a loud laugh, Dream walked down the stairs, giving Techno one last glance. However, he seemed to be distracted by the two blazes that spawned. Dream debated whether or not to help but he walked away when he saw Techno cut one of them down while dodging fire from the other. 

Dream made his way throughout the labyrinth of the fortress, looting chests for gold and extra iron. His diamond ax was secure on his back but it felt heavier. 

All he could see was Tommy’s face, usually so prideful and happy now dull and expressionless. All he could see was Tommy’s blood on Techno’s sword, dripping off slowly. All he could see was Tommy’s body disappear in a puff of smoke.

Dream’s swing against a wither skeleton sent the mob into a pile of bones. And still, the ax felt wrong in his hands. It felt like it belonged to another person. 

All of this wrong, Dream knew that. A kid shouldn’t have to play along with old friends just to stay alive. A kid shouldn’t have to watch their friends get kidnapped and tortured. A kid shouldn’t have to be tortured themselves. 

There’s a lot of things that kids, that teens, that full-grown adults shouldn’t have to go through. 

Dream ruffled through the items in another chest, storing the gold and iron away. The four pieces of obsidian were also put away with another saddle, right next to the nether wart he collected. 

However, something then nudged on his head and Dream whipped around, the ax suddenly in his hands. His head twisted back and forth, searching for whatever touched him. All he saw was a small bumble bee. 

What the hell was a bumble bee doing in the nether?

“I think I’m losing it,” Dream mumbled to himself, sitting down on top of the closed chest. “I’m finally losing it.”

And Dream started to laugh and then he started to cry. 

“I’m going insane,” Dream’s hands clutched at his hair. “I’m going insane like George and Sap. I’ll be like Wilbur and Phil, kidnapping people and locking them in cells. That must be the play! They make us think that we have a chance to escape and then show us that it’s all fake and it’s all fake and reality is a lie.”

Dream’s hands shook and he gripped his hair tighter. However, the bee didn’t seem to like that and bumped gently against his cheek.

\----

“He thinks he’s going insane. You got to do something!”

“How do I tell him that he isn’t going insane and that the bee is trying to help him?”

“Hand the controls over to Tubbo.”

\---

The bee bumped against Dream’s cheek again, buzzing softly. However, Dream didn’t look up; he just continued to cry.

“Do I tell Techno? What if he kills me? What if he knows that I’m losing it and he sends me back to them? I don’t want to go back, I don’t want to go back.”

The bee buzzed angrily and pushed at Dream’s mask which fell to cover his eye. Dream fell silent, staring in confusion at the small thing. Buzzing again, the bee tried to push the mask off his face again. Furrowing his eyebrows, Dream pushed the mask to the side of his head once again and the bee buzzed happily. 

“You’re strangely sentient,” Dream mumbled, wiping away his tears. “For a bee, I mean.”

\---

“I’ve never seen him without his mask.”

“This isn’t the time to be talking about this. He’s starting to understand.”

\---

The bee moved up and down, replicating a player nodding.

“I’m guessing that means you are sentient,” Dream tilted his head. The bee titled as well. “Okay, I am going insane.”

The bee murmured angrily. Dream just leaned against the wall, still sitting on the chest. 

“I am talking to a bee. And I think the bee is talking back.”

The bee nodded again. 

“Okay, maybe I’m getting this,” Dream snorted. “Reminds me of that video I did, where George controlled the mobs.”

When Dream mentioned George, his smile dropped. However, the bee buzzed happily and started spinning around in tiny circles.

“You’re telling me that this is like that video?” 

The bee nodded again.

“So, you’re someone?”

The bee started to fly faster. 

“Who are you?”

The bee flew a bit away from Dream, causing him to stand. He followed the bee to a staircase, running down the stairs. The bee suddenly stopped, flying around in circles again so Dream stopped. It flew down to the soul sand and started to write.

T-U-B-B-O

“Tubbo?” Dream whispered and the bee let out the biggest buzz yet. “Tubbo!”

Letting out a laugh, Dream spun around in a circle as the bee flew around him, chirping happily. And in the emptiness of the nether fortress, Dream sounded...happy for the first time since everything happened. In the soul sand, he spun around, throwing his arms out. 

“It’s so good to hear from someone from the outside,” Dream exclaimed. “I mean, not really talk but it’s you. It’s really you.”

\---

“I can’t believe he figured it out.”

“Dreamy’s smart. I knew he could.”

“We’re talking to him. We can finally communicate!”

“Things are finally starting to look up…”

\---

“Here, I’ll take some soul sand so we can communicate,” Dream dropped to his knees and gathered some of the sand, placing it in a small knapsack he found, abandoned in a chest. “Now, come on. Techno would want to know that we can talk with the outside.”

Dream, with a small bee following him, ran through the fortress, back the way he came. However, when he came up to the blaze spawner, it was destroyed and Techno was nowhere to be found. The bee started to buzz nervously. 

“Techno?” Dream called out, his hand moving towards his ax. “Where are you?”

Dream turned to the right where the path they made to the fortress was completely destroyed. 

He was stranded in a fortress in the middle of a lava pool. He was alone.

“Techno?” Dream called out again, standing where the spawner once stood, the bee on his shoulder. He saw a note wedged in the nether bricks and pulled it out.

Crimson forest. Be careful. They are watching.

Dream looked up.

There was no one there. 

Unknown to him, the hunters eyed his every move.


	13. On Both Sides

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After the note Techno left him, Dream runs to the crimson forest, the hunters following close behind.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here we are!! Sorry, not a lot of action but I swear that the next chapter will be full of it.  
> Also, do you think it is still creepy enough? If not, tell me and if you know some ways to make it creepier, tell me!!
> 
> I love all of you so much! This story blew up in ways I never expected and it's all to you. <3

The hunters were right behind him, Dream knew that. He sprinted through the crimson forests, George and Sapnap’s calls for him and laughs echoing in the underworld realm. Phil and Wilbur seemed to get into it as well, yelling for Dream to come back here. The only one who was quiet was Tommy but he still ran after Dream. 

His eyes searched desperately for Techno, hoping, praying that the other was alright and not slowly respawning in the mansion. But wherever he looked, he just saw towering crimson trees and a hunter around every corner. 

“Shit,” Dream swore quietly under his breath before skidding behind a tree, spotting George at the last second. Thankfully, he didn’t see Dream and continued on, the compass hanging uselessly from his belt; it never worked in the nether. 

“Oh, Dream,” George called out, his voice echoing in this underworld. “Come out, come out wherever you are.”

“Tubbo,” Dream whispered, not looking at the bee but keeping his eye on George. “Fly ahead and find Techno. Then come back and lead me to him. Got it?”

The bee nodded before zooming off, a fleck of yellow in the red. Dream stayed behind the tree, watching George out of the corner of his eyes. With his left hand, Dream slid the mask back over his face and gripped the handle of his ax. Then, he slowly snuck out, moving past George who was facing the other way, thankfully. 

However, he wasn’t so lucky when Wilbur happened to walk towards George out of nowhere, completely spotting Dream.

“There he is,” Wilbur screamed and started to run after him. George whipped around and also started to chase him, making Dream turn and sprint away. “Don’t let him get away.”

Dream ran through the forest, smacking branches out of the way and dodging out of the way of vines. A few hit him, scratching his bare arms but Dream didn’t have time to see how bad they were because Wilbur and George were right there.

“Go away, George,” Dream yelled, taking a sharp turn. “Go away, Wilbur!”

“Come here, Dream,” George screamed back and Wilbur simply laughed. Dream, however, swore again before he came across a crack that split the crimson forest in half. It was too big to jump and if he missed it, it was a painful death from fall damage or burning alive.

Wilbur’s and George’s footsteps got closer and Dream had no blocks to clutch with, having wasted all of them building over to the nether fortress. All he had was sand, regular plain sand and he couldn’t waste the soul sand. And as the two hunters came close, Dream made a decision and jumped. 

Placing the regular sand underneath him, it gave Dream just enough time of a platform to step onto the nether rack. The sand fell into the lava below but Dream was already on the other side, perfectly fine. 

He glanced back to see George’s and Wilbur’s shocked expressions. Giving them a cheeky smile, Dream ran into the crimson forest, the red trees hiding him. They would need a few minutes to either collect blocks and cross over; neither were the best at block clutching, after all. It gave Dream time to escape and hide. 

However, before he could do anything, the bee came speeding towards him, almost hitting Dream in the forehead. It was buzzing excitedly, zipping back and forth. And Dream knew what the bee found.

“Take me to Techno.”

With that, the bee flew off, leaving Dream to run behind it. The bee led him through the forest and sometimes, Dream lost it but it would always show up again, its wings flapping fast. Finally, the bee slowed down and showed Dream a small cave that was lit up by a single torch.

Dream made his way cautiously into the cave, looking around but before he could get far, an arm wrapped around his chest and a sword was pushed against his throat. Dream gasped and closed his eyes tightly, thinking this was the end. 

He was done, he was finished and Tubbo and whoever else was with them would see him die, live. They would see his blood splatter the nether rack, almost invisible against the vibrant red they already were. They would see his mask fall, cracking into a million pieces. They would see him bleed out in the cave, having got so far but having lost. 

What a way to go out.

“Who are you?”

Wait, Dream knew that gruff voice.

“Techno, it’s me, it’s Dream!”

Almost immediately, the sword and arm were gone. Then, he was spun around and found himself face-to-face with Techno whose harsh expression melted. And Dream couldn’t help but smile when Techno pulled him into a hug, the both of them clutching at each other like they were the other’s lifeline. 

“I was worried they got you,” Techno whispered. “I had to run, Dream, I’m so sorry.”

“It’s okay,” Dream told him. “We both got out. We’re okay.”

“I’m never letting you out of my sight again. Jesus, I was so worried.”

Dream laughed louder. “Protective much?”

Techno pulled back, staring at Dream intensely. But then, he gently moved Dream’s mask out of the way so that he could look the younger in the eyes. 

“It’s just us, Dream. Only me and you. And I want us to get out together.”

Dream only nodded, smiling softly. “We will, Techno. We will.”

And if Dream saw a flash of uncertainty in Techno’s eyes, he didn’t say anything. 

But then, the moment passed and the bee made itself known when it flew between the two faces, buzzing happily. Techno took a physical step back, surprised. He pointed at it.

“Why is there a bee?”

“Oh, that’s Tubbo!”

Techno blinked twice in confusion. “Context?”

“It’s really Tubbo,” Dream held out his finger and the bee landed softly on it. “Remember that video I did with George, the one where he controls the mobs?”

“You’re saying that this is like that?” Techno pinched the bridge of his nose. “Dream, how do you even know that this is Tubbo?”

“I’ll show you!” Dream dropped to his knees, the bee flying up again as Dream got out the soul sand and spilled it over the nether rack. “Come on, Tubbo.”

The bee flew down to the soul sand, making a huge smile in the sand. Dream turned up to Techno with a smile. However, it didn’t seem like Techno was convinced nor impressed. He just crossed his arms. 

“Stubborn,” Dream rolled his eyes and turned back to the sand. “Tubbo, can you tell me how you can see in this world?”

C-O-D-E

Dream furrowed his eyebrows. “What do you mean?”

S-P-E-C-T-A-T-E

“So, you’re watching the players basically?”

The bee moved up and down. 

Techno knelt down next to the sand, running his hand through it to give the bee a clear canvas like Dream has been doing. “How?”

F-U-N-D-Y

Dream chuckled before he realized. “Who else is with you?”

S-C-O-T-T

B-A-D

S-K-E-P

Dream let out a relieved laugh and Techno smiled softly.

“Hello, everyone,” Dream waved at the bee.

“Hi,” Techno smiled wider. “Tubbo, can you see the hunters?”

N-O-T M-E

B-U-T M-O-N-I-T-O-R-S

“You have monitors on them, like security cameras?” Techno guessed and the bee nodded. “But how are you a bee?”

The bee just flew at Dream, landing on his nose. Dream couldn’t help but smile.

“It’s like the video I did. They must have gotten the code and a bee would be one of the easiest mobs to control. Other mobs like ghasts and blazes can throw off your control so they’re a bee, right?”

The bee nodded again before landing back on Dream’s nose. 

“So, we can communicate with the outside,” Techno shrugged. “Nice.”

“Tubbo, do you know we’re trying to go through the End?” 

Y-E-S

K-E-E-P-I-N-G P-O-R-T-A-L O-P-E-N

“George must be trying to change the code,” Dream figured out. “They’ll make sure we can actually spawn back in the main server.”

“This might actually work,” Techno whispered before looking up at Dream. “We’ll actually get out of here.”

Dream threw his arms around Techno’s shoulder, pulling the other close. “Have you ever doubted my plan?”

Techno only snorted. “You don’t have a plan. You improvise and one day, that’s not going to work.”

“I can really feel the love.”

Shoving Dream off of him, Techno turned back to Tubbo. “Keep an eye on the hunters and warn us if they’re close. Dream, we need to get back to the overworld soon.”

“Just give me a sec,” Dream pulled out the nether wart. “Got a spare blaze rod?”

Even though he was confused, Techno handed one over. “What are you doing?”

“Getting us a way out of here.”

\---

“See them?”

“Right in that cave over there.”

“Perfect. We’ll trap the outside and if that doesn’t work, we’ll give chase. They should not leave this nether alive. They’re getting too close to the End for my liking.”

“They’ll be dead before you know it.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> also ELECTION SPOILERS DON'T READ IF YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT'S GOING ON
> 
> so like you know how schlatt became like a major villain and took over l'manburg? what if i wrote something where wilbur and tommy have to go back to their first enemy who is, of course, dream and ask for his help?? just thinking...


	14. Death Trap

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dream and Techno attempt to escape the nether.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> bonjour!!! here is chapter 14 and I apologize for the no chapter yesterday. I was feeling completely uninspired and I didn't want to give you guys a half-assed action chapter. Hopefully, this chapter is action-packed enough for you all!! i hope you enjoy!!
> 
> also, update on other stories  
> first, amnesia: i have the first chapter, i just gotta go over it once again and refine it but it should be out soon!!  
> second, election (ELECTION SPOILERS)- i read from a commenter that dream secretly helped Pogtopia so I think I might run with that idea. I'm thinking of Dream being a double-agent (like Tubbo is) and like playing up his rivalry with Wilbur/Tommy/Techno. What do you think?
> 
> <3 love ya'll so much

As soon as Dream and Techno stepped outside of the cave, they knew something was wrong. It was quiet, too quiet. The nether was known for being loud; the ghasts screaming, the blazes setting fire everywhere, the lava crackling, and other mobs making various noises. However, it was dead silent. Dream could hear his own heartbeat, that’s how quiet it was.

They just needed to escape the nether; that was all. However, they knew the hunters were watching, waiting for them to show up. Dream and Techno just didn’t know where they were. They sent Tubbo out a bit ago to scope the area but the bee didn’t return.

Taking a cautious step, Techno and Dream searched the area for anything that could be possibly dangerous. However, they were so busy looking around that they didn’t see the trip wire until the last second.

“Get down!” Techno tackled Dream to the ground, causing the two to move just out of the way as a bunch of TNT went off. The explosion rang in their ears and ash started to rain down like snow. And Dream couldn’t hear anything.

Coughing out a bit of ash, Dream accepted Techno’s help up as he glanced back at the now destroyed cave. Techno was talking but Dream only heard the last bit of the sentence.

“-get that much TNT?” Techno glanced back at Dream whose ears stopped ringing. “Come on, the portal is this way.”

But before they could even run, the hunters suddenly appeared, circling them like a pride of lions stalking their prey. Dream and Techno were back-to-back and Dream looked around, the nether silent once again.

“You planned for that,” Techno accused and the hunters, minus Tommy, laughed. “Of course you did. What other tricks do you have up your sleeves?”

“If we told you, they wouldn’t be tricks, would they?” Phil took a step forward, his sword suddenly appearing in his hands. “Now, say goodbye, boys.”

The hunters drew close, staying in their circle. 

It seemed like it was the end.

However, right before anyone could swing at them, Dream noticed a stray piece of TNT that didn’t go off in the initial explosion. Fishing a flint and steel from his inventory, he lit the flint on fire before throwing it between George and Sapnap, lighting the TNT on fire. 

It was chaos. The TNT almost immediately went off and blasted everyone backwards but Dream kept on his feet, expecting the TNT. He grabbed Techno’s hand and while the others were distracted, he sprinted off, pulling along Techno behind him. They were close to the chasm again before they heard the enraged yells of the hunters and the tell-tale sounds of footsteps chasing after them again. 

The two of them reached the chasm and quickly went across the rickety bridge George and Wilbur must have made when they were chasing Dream. However, Techno and Dream had no time to break it before the hunters appeared from the trees. 

“Come on,” Dream yelled, yanking Techno to keep running when they both slowed. “We need to get to the portal.” 

“We’re never going to make it,” Techno glanced behind him at the hunters who seemed to get closer and closer. “Do you have anything?”

“Nothing,” Dream admitted as they reached the small hill that led up to the nether fortress. They started to climb up it, the loose nether rack falling beneath them. “We’ll figure something out, Techno, I swear.”

“Ghast!” Techno pointed above them and sure enough, there was a ghast, seemingly waiting for them. However, Techno and Dream didn’t wait for it and climbed even faster, dodging the beast’s screams and fire balls. “The hunters are here.”

Dream looked down. “Shit.”

Techno just grunted, stopping suddenly.

“What are you doing? We have to go!”

“Go, Dream, I’ll be there,” Techno yelled, getting out his sword. But just as he did, the ghast screamed again and the fire charge came straight at Techno.

“No,” Dream screamed, reaching out of Techno as the charge hit him. However, the smoke surrounded the other, making it impossible to see what was happening. Dream just gripped the cliff, coughing as the smoke started to coat his lungs once again. But then, he heard the explosion and it felt like it was underneath him. 

Then, the smoke cleared and Techno was still there. 

Wilbur Soot was blown up by Technoblade

He somehow managed to hit the fire charge at the last second, deflecting it to hit the cliff by Wilbur and killing the elder. However, it didn’t seem to slow the hunters down as they climbed faster. 

“Go, Dream,” Techno yelled just as Dream reached the top, Techno being about ten feet below.

“Not without you,” Dream coughed harshly, the heat getting worse and the smoke making it even worse. He reached down to Techno. “Come on!”

Gripping his hand, Dream was able to yank Techno up and together, they ran through the fortress. But the hunters were close behind.

“Come here, Dream,” George laughed hysterically like he was told the best joke. “Come here, Technoblade!”

Dream clamped his hand over his mouth as he and Techno plastered themselves to a wall, silently begging that George would just run past. He did but when Dream glanced down the hallway they were in, Phil came stalking down in.

“Here, boys,” Phil called out, his normally happy voice now dark and harsh. “It’s time for this silly game to end.”

Techno and Dream snuck out of the hallway, slipping past George who thankfully faced the other way. They finally made their way to the edge of the fortress, not alerting the others who still prowled the fortress. 

Before they could even start to go across, someone appeared behind him. They glanced back and saw Tommy there, a bee spinning in circles above his head. However, when the bee saw the two, it bumped against Tommy one last time, prompting a smile from the teen, before flying over to Techno and Dream. 

“I don’t know why you have a bee but I don’t want to know,” Tommy chuckled weakly, his voice unsteady. “I’m sorry but I have to tell them.”

“It’s okay, kid,” Techno nodded. “Do it.”

“Just...take care of that bee, alright?” Tommy slightly turned around but he spun his head back to look at them. “Tubbo always hates it when bees are killed.”

“We’ll take care of the bee,” Dream promised and Tommy smiled, turning all the way around. 

“Found them!” Tommy yelled, his voice managing sound slightly unhinged even though Dream and Techno knew he wasn’t insane at all. “They’re trying to escape.”

Dream and Techno backed onto the edge as the hunters suddenly appeared. Wilbur ruffled Tommy’s hair playfully and Tommy beamed up at him. 

“This is the end,” Sapnap shuffled closer and closer as did all of the other hunters. “You must have gotten rusty, Dream.”

Dream didn’t answer. 

“It was fun,” Phil smiled darkly. “Your punishment awaits you, boys.”

“Just come a little closer,” George took a step forward and the two runners took a step back, their feet almost slipping off the edge. “It’s all over.”

“It’s not over until I say it’s over,” Techno smiled smugly at the hunters. Before they could respond, Techno wrapped an arm around Dream and jumped off the edge. Dream scrambled to hold on, the lava coming insanely close but right before they hit it, Techno hooked his fishing line around something in the ceiling. 

The two swung across the nether, held only from certain death by a fishing rod.

“They’re so overpowered,” Sapnap yelled as the hunters rushed to the edge of the fortress, watching the duo escape their grasps once again. “It’s not fair.”

Dream laughed, loud and boastful, as Techno unhooked the rod from the ceiling and sent the two of them tumbling onto the nether rack, the portal a few feet away. “How did you know to do that?”

“It’s all part of the master plan,” Techno gave the younger a little grin. “Come on, let’s finally get out of here.”

But just as the purple magic whisked them away, Dream got a glance of the hunters hurriedly building over. 

They appeared back in the cave, on the platform in the middle of the lava pool. The cool air of the cave brought them relief from the hot air of the nether. But now, it was quiet again, the noises of the nether disappearing as they exited the portal. They quickly crawled out of the lava pool, the bee with them, but there was another problem.

Techno and Dream were stuck in a cave system with the hunters right behind them.

“Come on,” Techno ran towards a cave, Dream following. “We should have some time.”

However, the odds seemed to completely against them at this point as the portal glowed again, all four hunters coming out and immediately spotting the duo and bee. 

“Come here,” Sapnap screamed and Dream and Techno rushed away. 

“Leave us alone, Snapmap,” Dream yelled and he quickly turned around, pulling out a shovel. He threw it at the entrance of the cave where gravel was precariously balanced in the ceiling. The gravel fell, closing off the cave to the hunters.

The yells of the hunters could still be heard as Techno and Dream finally got away with all of their blaze rods.


	15. The Thing About Insanity

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Who broke first?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We are nearing the end of this great journey.  
> I hope I brought you back to this story's creepy routes with this chapter :)  
> Enjoy

Dream was scared. 

He had a lot of fears. Everyone did. Humans have always been scared of the unknown, of what they couldn’t understand. 

But Dream never seemed to be scared of the unknown; in fact, he usually embraced it and laughed and danced in it. He listened to its stories and told some of his own back. However, this time, it was different. 

Because now, the unknown didn’t mean a different code or a different MCC. Now, the unknown meant the rest of his life. The unknown meant being trapped in that mansion for eternity. The unknown meant becoming slowly insane, becoming unhinged like his friends were. 

The unknown meant freedom or a cage.

Dream didn’t want to embrace it. He wanted to run away.

But as he looked across the village, looked at Techno who traded with a villager, looked at Tubbo the bee sniffing the flowers, Dream knew he couldn’t run away. 

They were so close to freedom. Dream could almost taste it.

They would make it together. 

\---

Techno was scared. 

He didn’t have many fears, He only had one big one.

It was dying.

Just the thought of it scared him. Techno knew he would respawn, knew he would be fine but whenever death reached out its icy palm, Techno could never take it. He didn’t want to go through respawn.

He didn’t want to die.

It was why he trained, why he told everyone that “Technoblade never dies”. 

And even though he knew that if a stray sword hit him or he fell into the void, he would be back, better than ever. The stakes were never there.

This time, they were. 

Death meant a lifetime in that mansion. Death meant a lifetime stuck with the people who he refused to see as friends, much less family. Death meant not getting Tommy back to Tubbo. Death meant watching Dream slowly turn insane while he himself did as well. 

Death meant he would be trapped in a fate worse than death. 

But as he looked at Dream whose mask was covering his face, the cracks now plentiful, Techno felt himself accept his fate.

If he died to make sure Dream and Tommy escaped, then so be it.

\----

“He’s trying to change the code again,” Fundy grumbled, typing quickly on the laptop. “Anything I do he just reverses.”

“Just keep trying,” Scott stared at the monitors, watching the hunters closely. “They’re getting close to Dream and Techno.”

“Those muffins are almost done with trading,” Bad threw his hand up to gesture loosely at the monitors. “They’ll be at the stronghold in no time.”

“Well, it won’t matter if the gate doesn’t stay open,” Skeppy ran a hand through his hair. “Fundy, is there any way of locking it somehow.”

“Code doesn’t work like that,” The one in question fired back. “Code that was set when making the server is irreversible. However, flexible code can be changed but it can only be changed by anyone who is an admin or anyone who can hack in.”

“Well, who are the admins?” Scott came over to Fundy, reading the text scrolling down the screen over the other’s shoulder. Fundy typed a few things in before two names appeared, the answer bright as day.

“George and Phil.”

Tubbo, who still controlled the bee, glanced at them. “Phil? Why would he be an admin?”

  
  
\---

Phil broke first. 

It all started in his five-year hardcore world, the world he devoted hours, days to and built up towards the skies. The world that had monuments to fake gods and had farms to provide everything for Phil. The world he had everything in and one mistake destroyed it all.

One hit from a zombie and suddenly, Phil was seeing the respawn screen.

But this time, there was no respawn. Only return to the main server. 

And stuck in his body, Phil watched the world around him slowly turn to ash. Stone crumbled to dust and trees became nothing but specks in the wind. His home was gone in a blink of an eye and everything he built, everything he spent so much time on was gone.

Everything was gone. 

As he stared at everything disappear, Phil finally broke. 

When he was teleported back to the main server, he was brought right before the door to his private world. Before his eyes, the door got boarded up and Phil couldn’t pull the wood off. He fell to his knees and the sign above the door simply read “NO RESPAWNS”.

Everything was gone. 

Everything was gone. 

“Phil?”

He didn’t look away from the closed-off door. Someone came around him and knelt down. Wilbur’s familiar face was suddenly there.

“It’s all gone,” Phil could barely get out as his hands curled into fists. 

“Oh, Phil, I’m still here,” Wilbur pulled Phil into a hug. “I’ll always be here.”

And in front of Phil’s unattainable world, the duo sat in silence.

Wilbur broke second.

When Phil died in his hardcore world, he and Wilbur travelled across many different servers, trying to get Phil back on his feet. However, no matter where they went to, Phil’s eyes always seemed to be unfocused and unclear.

Finally, Wilbur sat Phil down and demanded to know what was going on. So, Phil told him everything. 

Phil told the other of his fears, of his terror at losing anything else that truly matters. 

Wilbur just said that he and also Techno were always going to be there.

Wilbur said that they were family.

And that word got into Phil’s head. 

Soon, he was feeding Wilbur these words of “a perfect family” where “no one would harm them”. And Wilbur to believe it.

When the teams for MCC 8 came out, Phil told Wilbur that Scott was trying to break them apart.

Wilbur believed it. 

And as Phil fell, he dragged Wilbur down with him.

George broke third. 

When he heard of the Dream Team being split apart, he went into a creative world and destroyed all he could see. Nothing, no one was spared, not even the baby villagers that ran between their parents legs and didn’t know what the world was like yet. He would scream until his voice gave out, cursing at the people who separated them. 

It was one day on the Dream SMP when Wilbur noticed his anger, his frustration, his sadness at the thought of losing Dream, even for one Championship. So Wilbur, completely trusting Phil, took George to see the eldest.

Phil saw an opportunity to get more family, to protect those he felt like needed protecting.

George saw an opportunity to finally be with his friends, forever.

He took in the words, he drank them up and believed every one of them. 

George fell willingly.

Sapnap broke fourth. 

He was friends with Dream the longest but he couldn’t help the sharp stab in his heart when he found out that Dream was on a rival team. Sapnap did seem to handle it better than George but it didn’t mean it didn’t hurt.

It hurt a lot.

And one day, Sapnap saw George sneak out of the Dream SMP and followed him. George led him to a server right next to Dream’s but when they got through, it seemed like George knew he was following the whole time.

Similar to what Wilbur went through, George and Phil fed Sapnap those words and when he got mad at the Championship creators, they encouraged it. A whole forest was burned to the ground and was nothing but soot.

And still, it wasn’t enough. Sapnap needed his family. 

And as George fell, he dragged Sapnap down with him. 

Tommy never broke. 

One night, he was taken from his home in the Dream SMP and when he woke, he was in a half-finished mansion with Phil, Wilbur, George and Sapnap. 

They tried to feed him these lies of “family is all you need” and “we’ll be safe here forever”. Tommy tried to rebel, tried to scream no at the top of his lungs but it only made them angry.

Tommy doesn’t know how long he spent in that dark and dingy cell, just trying to hold onto his sanity and his memories and himself

The cell almost worked.

When they brought him out again, Tommy latched himself onto his newly found family. It was all perfect; they built the mansion and they got Techno and Dream, the final pieces to their puzzle.

But then, Techno mentioned Tubbo. 

Everything came crashing down. And he finally remembered.

Phil, Wilbur, George, and Sapnap tried to drag him down.

Four broke. One almost did. 

Those who did break were now blinded by the unattainable thought, the idea of a perfect family in a perfect world. Of course, neither of those things truly existed. And if anyone tried to get them, they would just hurt the people around them. 

Four broke. One almost did. 

But now, they walked through the forest, Wilbur with them once again as they followed the compass to where they knew Dream and Techno would be. Tommy lagged behind, his breath unsteady and his hands shaking.

Would Dream and Techno really get him out of here? Would Tommy finally be free again?

Two messages in chat sealed his fate.

_ Technoblade has made the achievement [Eye Spy]. _

_ Dream has made the achievement [Eye Spy]. _


	16. The End.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Techno and Dream face the final challenge before freedom can be theirs.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is longer but enjoy!!
> 
> Both endings will come out at the same time :)  
> (they will be shorter than the usual chapter but this chapter was longer than usual so it evens out)

_ Dream has made the achievement [The End?]. _

_ Technoblade has made the achievement [The End?]. _

With a sudden gasp, Dream opened his eyes to find himself on an obsidian island in the middle of the void. In front of him was the End island, dangling over nothingness. He could hear the roar of the ender dragon, the obsidian pillars proudly showing off the regeneration crystals. 

This was the end.

Technoblade appeared next to him, a bow already in his hands. They just crafted them in the village as they traded emeralds away for arrows, begging to have enough. Silently, Techno passed Dream an ender pearl for they had two extra and Dream took it.

Together, they threw it towards their freedom or doom. The bee followed them.

This was the end.

They landed on hard end stone, already aiming towards the regeneration crystals. They all started to explode as Dream and Techno shot arrow after arrow at them. Dream ran towards one with a cage around it, aiming straight up to get the crystal. 

He accidentally angered an enderman. He slaughtered it and slipped the pearl to Techno. 

Techno ran out of arrows and he piled up to a crystal, hiding behind the obsidian as he threw a block at it. It exploded right after he ducked and Techno could feel the hot air of the explosion fly right over him. 

As he climbed down, the dragon weaved through the pillars.

This was the end. 

_ Ph1LzA has made the achievement [The End?]. _

_ WilburSoot has made the achievement [The End?]. _

_ Georgenotfound has made the achievement [The End?]. _

_ Sapnap has made the achievement [The End?]. _

_ TommyInnit has made the achievement [The End?]. _

This was the end.

“Finish this,” Techno yelled at Dream. “I’ll handle them!”

“Take this,” Dream threw over a strength potion and Techno caught it with one hand. “Use it wisely; I could only make two.”

Techno only nodded before running off to where the hunters spawned on the obsidian platform. Dream turned around and found himself face-to-face with the ender dragon. 

“You’ve done this a million times,” Dream pulled his ax out and readied the shield he made while Techno and him prepared in the village. “What’s one more time?”

  
  
Dream slid his mask over his face; the mask was battered, bruised and one long crack ran from the center of the top down to the chin, almost breaking the porcelain mask in two. One final hit would destroy the mask Dream had for so long. 

However, that didn’t matter now. Nothing mattered but getting out, alive.

Dream faced the dragon. 

Techno faced their old friends. 

Neither knew which was more scary to face; a beast they’ve always known was evil, always known would try and kill them or friends that they used to trust, used to love. 

What was more terrifying; facing a beast or facing your friends?

Techno stared down at the obsidian platform where the hunters sat there, stranded. Dream and Techno knew they had to break the pathway to the end island this time. 

“You really think you will win?” Phil’s voice in the end sounded like it was coming from behind Techno instead of in front of him. “You really think we would just let you go?”   


  
The two stared at each other; Techno with the high ground on the end island, his red cloak around his shoulders. Phil gave him that cloak, made it for the younger in his hardcore world. When Tommy, Wilbur, and Phil took Techno outside of the mansion for the first time, Phil returned the cloak with a smile. 

“One day,” Techno said, unclasping the cloak from around his shoulders. He stared at it. “You’ll have to let us all go.”

With that, Techno let go of the cloak and watched it fall into the void. All he had was his crown.

“This all ends here, Phil,” Techno looked up again. “This time, we’re giving you a chance to leave.”

“Unlike you, we won’t abandon family,” Wilbur said and Techno couldn’t even recognize his friend anymore. “We’re all leaving or none of us are leaving.”

“Why don’t you understand? We aren’t a family, Wilbur,” Techno heard a bed explode and the dragon let out a roar. 

“We can become a family,” George tried to explain. “When we don’t have Championships or fans yelling at us or people splitting us apart.”

“We will never be a family!” His words echoed in the void. “Why don’t you understand? Dream and I are going home and there’s nothing you can do to stop that.”

“You won’t escape,” Sapnap growled. “We’ve done too much to let you go now.”

Techno only tilted his head, hearing another bed explode in the background. “Five against two? I like those odds.”

“Techno, are you willing to spill blood over this?” Phil asked. Techno only smiled.

“Blood for the blood god.”

This was the end.

Dream let out a grunt as he hit his final bed, causing it to explode right underneath the ender dragon’s vulnerable neck. She roared and flew from her place on the bedrock pillar, almost twenty-five percent of her health already down. 

He readied his ax, watching her closely as he fingered the potion bottles in his inventory. Smashing a strength potion on the ground, Dream soaked up the potion. But before he could do anything, Sapnap and George suddenly appeared next to him out of thin air. 

Dream didn’t give them any time to speak before throwing himself at them, swinging his ax down at Sapnap who had no shield. Sapnap rolled out of the way and Dream blocked an attack from George. Suddenly dropping, Dream managed to kick George’s legs out from underneath him.

With the little time he had, Dream sprinted away from the bedrock pillar and from George and Sapnap, hiding behind an obsidian pillar as he tried to heal. The dragon thankfully kept the two hunters occupied. He glanced to his left and saw Techno fighting Wilbur, Phil, and Tommy. 

Techno then kicked Tommy in the side and it threw him over to the side, conveniently next to Dream. Dream rushed forward, helping the teenager up. The bee that was flying around randomly came close to Tommy.

“You kept him safe,” Tommy murmured, watching the bee. 

“I promised I would,” Dream then took a potion of invisibility from his inventory. “Take this, Tommy. Stay hidden.”

  
  
“I can’t-” Tommy tried to reason but Dream didn’t hear it. He only stepped back and threw it at Tommy’s feet. The teenager disappeared. “Dream-”

“Be safe,” Was all Dream said before he ran back to George and Sapnap. However, just as he was about to intersect with the hunters, Dream suddenly moved to the side and ran straight at the dragon. 

“Don’t let him hit it,” George yelled but it was already too late. Dream ran into the bedrock hole and swiped at the dragon’s neck, sending her down hearts. 

“I can’t get close,” Sapnap screamed. “She’s down more than halfway!”

However, as he said that, Dream lost his concentration. The dragon started to fly away and her tail hit Dream, sending him flying into the air. He hit the tallest obsidian tower and slumped to the ground. Dream tried to get up. He couldn’t. 

Meanwhile, when Techno threw Tommy over to Dream, he saw the teenager disappear out of the corner of his eye. He saw Tubbo the bee start to follow what looked like nothing and knew that Tommy would be safe. Turning his attention back to the fight, Techno blocked Phil’s sword with his own before pushing up, making the elder stumble back. Techno didn’t get the time to finish it off as Wilbur came at him.

Techno blocked last second but when he looked up, he saw Dream slam into the pillar. Wilbur saw as well and he saw Sapnap and George walk over to him.

“Looks like it’s over for Dream,” Wilbur smirked, pushing harder against Techno’s own sword. 

With horror in his eyes, Techno watched George raise his sword and stab Dream straight in the stomach, through the armor. Dream let out a horrifying scream and he dropped his ax and shield, holding both hands to his wound. Sapnap kicked both things away, leaving Dream defenseless.

Techno saw red. 

With rage in his eyes, Techno brought his sword around and cut Wilbur’s arm deeply. He kicked Wilbur straight in the chest and the taller man went flying back, hitting the end stone hard. 

Techno spun around and ducked under Phil’s swing before splashing the strength potion onto himself. He cut straight through Phil’s chest plate and it clattered to the ground. Techno then pivoted and grabbed an arrow from the quiver on Phil’s waist. Stabbing him in the shoulder with the arrow, Phil fell to the ground. 

The two of them were already getting back up. 

Techno turned his gaze back to where Dream laid. Sapnap and George seemingly abandoned Dream and ran towards Techno. 

Sprinting at them, Techno barely dodged their attacks before getting close enough to the dragon to hit her. He hit her a few times before running off again, Sapnap and George still following. Techno looped around and caught a glance at Wilbur and Phil who were up again, joining the chase. There was no sign of Dream. 

Leading them to the edge of the end island, Techno remembered a story Dream told him in the cell.

_ “I led Bad to the edge of the cliff and I jumped,” Dream let out a wheeze. “He was so confused when I appeared behind him and hit him off. I managed to pearl right before I would have died and he never expected it.” _

With a smile on his face, Techno jumped off into the void. 

But before he could fall, Techno turned around and chucked the pearl Dream gave him. Techno closed his eyes as he fell and he appeared behind the hunters. 

“It’s all over,” Techno whispered but they heard him. When they turned around, Techno was sprinting towards the highest obsidian tower. The hunters looked up and they saw Dream on top of the tower. Then, the dragon twitched, like it was being possessed, and flew up towards Dream in an irregular flight pattern. No one noticed the bee dropping to the ground. 

Dream jumped from the tower and swung down with his ax. 

The ax hit dead on. 

With a roar that shook the entire island, the dragon died. 

They all watched as Dream fell from the air, hitting the ground.

And his mask finally broke. 

_ Dream has made the achievement [The End.].  _

This was the end. 

Techno rushed to Dream who was unconscious, steadily losing blood. Tommy appeared next to Dream, the potion wearing off. 

“He’ll never make it,” Tommy whispered but Techno just held Dream tighter. Tommy gripped Dream’s hand. 

“We’re going to be okay,” Techno felt tears fall down his face. “We’re going to be okay.”


	17. The Bad Ending

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dream, Techno, and Tommy don't make it out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HERE WE GO
> 
> If you enjoyed this story, check out my other works!! They'll be updated soon.

This was the end. 

In Techno’s lap, Dream took his final breath. Seconds later, his body disappeared, leaving only the blood staining Tommy and Techno’s hands. But before they could even try to escape, they were both surrounded by the four hunters.

It didn’t matter. They didn’t want to escape without Dream. 

Before they jumped through the portal, George finally ripped the controls fully from Fundy, typing away in the text. When they went through, there was only one option; RESPAWN.

The ender dragon was dead and it didn’t even matter. 

They woke up back in the mansion that started it all. 

Silently, Techno let Phil lead him down to the cell and went in without even a word. Looking through a small hole in the wall, Techno almost broke down when he saw Dream in there, still asleep. He curled up next to the wall, trying to get as close to Dream as possible.

Tommy, instead of getting led into a cell, was pushed into his bedroom. Wilbur spoke to him through the door, telling the teenager how betrayed he felt. Tommy tried to say that he didn’t do anything, that they were still his family but Wilbur cut him off.

“You planned to leave too,” Wilbur whispered. “You betrayed us.”

Wilbur left Tommy crying. 

Fundy, Bad, Skeppy, Scott, and Tubbo watched as the monitors went dark after Dream died. No matter what Fundy tried, he couldn’t get the monitors back up again and he tried everything.

They would travel the main server for years, searching for a way to get back into the locked server. They would never find a way. 

Fundy would dedicate the rest of his life to coding, always trying to find a way to bring back the others. He would finally give up after many years and would retire to the Dream SMP, taking over L’Manburg.

Bad and Skeppy would end up moving on and live in a small server all to themselves. They would rarely go out, instead spending time trying to heal and get past this. They would write a book together, writing down what they knew happened in that locked server.

Scott would end up cancelling every Minecraft Championship after number 8. The server itself is still open and would be turned into a museum. If you visit the dodgeball arena, you could stand where Techno and Dream stood as they faced their own friends.

Tubbo would take over the Dream SMP in the absence of Dream. Unlike the MCC server, Tubbo would refuse to make it into a museum and instead, they would help the server continue to thrive, in memory of Techno, Dream, and Tommy. 

Every few years, a group of new players would attempt to break into the locked server.

No one ever made it through.

But on the locked server, the sun kept rising and falling.

Tommy broke first. 

It was a mixture of getting close to freedom but failing and spending over a week locked in his room with only the other hunters as company. After nine days, Tommy broke down and apologized for betraying them, promising to never do it again.

He forgot Tubbo’s name.

However, whenever Tommy saw a bee, he would stop and stare.

He never knew why.

Dream broke second.

After spending over two weeks in that dingy cell, Dream begged to be let out, to see the light again. He sat in the garden for hours, just watching the sky go from blue to black to blue again. He finally broke after seeing the sun set on the land again.

He forgot about his mask.

However, whenever he saw a smiley face, he would stop and stare.

He never knew why. 

Techno broke third.

When he saw Dream beg and cry, Techno couldn’t take it anymore. He was let out a day after Dream was and he stayed in his room for a long time after that. However, when he came out, it was like the old Techno was gone, replaced.

He forgot about the Championship.

However, whenever he saw a familiar coin, he would stop and stare.

He never knew why. 

Time went on. Tommy, Dream, and Techno grew to become part of the family, laughing and smiling with their captors. But they didn’t even know that Phil, Wilbur, George, and Sapnap captured them in the first place; they forgot a lot when they snapped.

Sometimes, Phil would tell stories to the family as they sat around the fire.

Tommy would never know that when Phil told the story of revolution, of betrayal, of war, Phil was talking about him.

Dream would never know that when Phil told the story of hunts, of tricks, of beasts, Phil was talking about him.

Techno would never know that when Phil told the story of an empire, of ice, of conquering, Phil was talking about him. 

You see, Phil would tell a lot of stories and many of them warned the others of what waited just outside the server, to ward them away from the exit. Tommy, Dream, and Techno never even thought of leaving, finding all they needed here.

But sometimes, Tommy felt like someone was missing.

But sometimes, Dream felt like something was missing.

But sometimes, Techno felt like someplace was missing.

But sometimes, the three of them felt out of place. But sometimes, the three of them felt like memories were missing. But sometimes, the three of them felt like part of their life was missing. 

The tragedy of TommyInnit, Dream, and Technoblade would go down in history as a tale of precaution, of treachery, of lost friends. It would warn the new generation of players of who they place their trust in, of who they call family.

On the day of Minecraft Championship 8, Dream and Technoblade went missing.

They were never found. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoy!!  
> Sorry about the long hiatus!! I had tests, dyed my hair, celebrated my birthday and played too much Among Us!  
> But I'm back!!


	18. The Good Ending

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dream, Techno and Tommy make it out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> LET'S GO
> 
> If you enjoyed this, check out my other works!! They will be updated soon.

This was the end.

Ignoring the hunters staring at him, Techno stood, taking Dream’s body in his arms. Together, Tommy and Techno walked towards the portal. However, when they looked back, the hunters just stared.

For the first time in a long time, the hunters’ eyes looked clear.

The three fell in the portal, closing their eyes. When they went through the portal, two options appeared to them; RESPAWN or RETURN TO MAIN SERVER. Glancing at Techno, Tommy reached forward and clicked the latter option.

They suddenly appeared in the main lobby and immediately, there was a crowd surrounding them. But Tommy and Techno didn’t see them as Techno set Dream down, digging in his inventory for the golden apple he almost forgot about. 

And Techno held Dream tightly as they waited for the apple to work, Tommy tucked under his arms. 

They didn’t even hear the crowd screaming.

Tubbo, Bad, Skeppy, Fundy, and Scott broke through the crowd, immediately spotting their dirty, bloody and bruised friends. However, when they approached, Techno growled, pulling the two younger players closer, while Tommy flinched, afraid that it was  _ them _ .

And on the main server in front of everyone, Technoblade and Dream were found after over a week of being missing. 

Dream was immediately carted off to the hospital along with Techno and Tommy. The two of them waited in the waiting room for hours, refusing to answer any questions about their captivity or Dream’s unexpected face-reveal. Bad snapped at the reporters and Skeppy had to hold the elder back before he harmed them. 

When Dream was stable, Techno and Tommy immediately went into his room and refused to leave until he woke up.

They both knew what it felt like to wake up alone in a place you don’t recognize.

_ \ _

Almost twenty-four hours after the trio appeared on the main hub, the locked server was opened. Admins immediately swarmed the place and they carted out the four hunters in handcuffs. The hunters had blood on their faces and anyone could guess that it was the runners’.

They were taken to jail where they would each stand trial a week later. 

Phil, Wilbur, George, and Sapnap would be sent to a mental hospital where they would undergo years of therapy. But, no matter how many times the multiple therapists would ask, neither one of them could come up with a reason why they let the trio go. 

Some people say they finally came to their senses. Others say they’re just biding their time.

Dream would wake up in the hospital, surrounded by his friends. Tommy would be asleep next to him in the bed and Techno would be on the other side, an arm around them like he was protecting them.

In a way, he did.

Dream would be released from the hospital a day later and Tommy, Techno and him would go to the Dream SMP. There, they built a new home together, away from the community house, from L’Manburg, from everything. 

They tried to heal. 

Fundy took over L’Manburg in replace of Wilbur, who was now banned from the country and server, and Tommy, who refused to go close to the walls. And while Fundy told the new citizens of the country of the first ruler, he always said that Wilbur was guided by those he trusted.

Bad and Skeppy would permanently move into the SMP and they completely redesigned the community house. And when the days were really bad for either of the three, they would come over with baked goods and whispered comforts.

Scott would end up continuing the Minecraft Championship at the request of Dream and Techno. However, dodgeball would never be played again. Dream, Techno, and Tommy would never play in another Championship but sometimes, they would watch.

Tubbo would take over the Dream SMP, the ownership handed to them by Dream himself. They would help the server thrive in new ways. However, whenever they could, they would go to the small cottage by the river where the trio made a new life for themselves.

As for the three, they tried to heal in different ways.

Tommy would flinch at the word family and he threw himself into new projects, new builds. Sometimes, his anger got the best of him and he would snap at people who just wanted to help. Eventually, he would see a therapist.

However, whenever he saw a bee, he would follow it.

Just in case.

Dream would sometimes go quiet, truly unlike his personality. He would go missing for days, traveling the server and other ones with a new and familiar mask on his face that he made. But he would always come home in the end.

However, he would barely take his mask off anymore.

He didn’t want anyone to see his face.

Techno would always have a sword within his reach, always on guard. Like Tommy, he was quick to anger, to fight, to kill. He would start a potato farm as a way to calm down but he still set traps around the small cottage. 

However, he would refuse to even mention the Championship.

He wanted to forget. 

Years would pass and the three would finally start to move on from the memories that held them back. They were all slightly scared of the dark and hated cold places but they got past that, together. 

One day, they would see their old friends in the hospital.

Techno refused to talk to Phil. He just stared at the elder, an unknown look in his eyes.

Tommy screamed at Wilbur. He screamed until his voice went raw and rough.

Dream looked anywhere but at Sapnap and George. They didn’t know that because of his mask.

The tragedy of TommyInnit, Dream, and Technoblade would go down in history as a tale of precaution, of treachery, of lost friends. It would warn the new generation of players of who they place their trust in, of who they call family.

On the day of Minecraft Championship 8, Dream and Technoblade went missing.

They were finally found. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoy!!  
> Sorry about the long hiatus!! I had tests, dyed my hair, celebrated my birthday and played too much Among Us!  
> But I'm back!!


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